Having immune issues, I was locked up longer than most. And honestly, it took me a full year to recover. To not be anxious out and about. To decide to go out and about.
And I know a lot of people who died. I found this was uncommon. Maybe it's because I reach more people than most. Lisa's father died early in the pandemic and now I think about him more than I did when he was still alive. And that Tom was, very alive, and very current, I could discuss the day's issues with him, he was the family patriarch.
But now he's gone.
And not only Adam Schlesinger, but Jerry Blair, who was only 60, his wife convinced him not to get the vaccine. And then Neil Lasher too, who like Tom passed before the vaccine came on board.
Not that I want to relitigate the vaccine. I also don't want to relitigate the cause of the pandemic. Whether it was a lab leak or a wet market... It's all in the rearview mirror now. And isn't it funny that all these people who propagate the lab leak theory are not anxious about preparing for bird flu or some other new virus?
But that's one thing I've learned in the past couple of years. We're all not on the same page. Sometimes I'm wrong, but one thing is for sure, the people who e-mail me are not. I mean you have to be willing to re-evaluate your precepts. But this is anathema to most. It crumbles their identity.
And I'd say I don't want to get into politics, but it is a snapshot of today, and that's why I'm writing this missive, to delineate how things are different.
It's been five years, and David Bowie isn't even around to weigh in on it. But seemingly every media outlet has. There's a recounting of the facts, the effects on children, questioning whether choices were correct and...
That's not what I'm thinking about.
I'm thinking about how no one goes to lunch anymore.
I'll be honest, I'd rather not, I don't want to kill that much time. But it turns out neither does anybody else!
I thought it might only be me. But I was with a Silicon Valley lawyer a couple of weeks back and he said the same thing. All these peripheral social activities...they no longer happen. Sure, you'll get together if necessary, but if it's casual, if it's not productive, no way.
And my older sister weighed in that she doesn't go out as much either. On the weekends they'd go to a restaurant, now they stay home and watch streaming television.
Which brings us to another change in the post-Covid landscape. The death of the movie business. Once people got out of the habit of going, they wondered why they were still going in the first place. Sure, some teens still participate in the submarine races in the darkened theatre, and if it's a hit film, a cultural signpost, people will go to see "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," but how many of those are there?
You may have seen last weekend's grosses. Which are down 7% from last year's anemic total. Who needs a remake of "Snow White"? Not many. Turns out they want something original, but for that they go to Netflix, et al. And if a show sucks, it doesn't tank the service, there is always something else to watch...which is not the case in the movie theatre.
And, of course, everything is on demand these days. People want it when they want it, and films don't start when you get there, never mind having to schlep there.
But this generates boomer outcry. That's another thing that happened post-Covid, the baby boomers became the older generation. Despite having smartphones and hip clothing, they're anti-tech, the smartphone is the devil, they wonder why things can't be the way they used to.
This has been shocking to me. My friends I've known for decades. They're constantly defending the past. Movie theatres, bookstores, physical media... When the truth is the younger generations have moved on.
And then there are the boomers who believe in old media when the youngsters don't even partake. I'm talking about news media here.
And speaking of news...
Covid finally killed the magazine. It started with the 2008 crash, but now... Maybe you can be "The New Yorker," and charge your dedicated fan base a fortune to subscribe, but the casual buy...
It just doesn't work anymore. It's not worth that much an issue and...
Apple News+ has revealed that most of the writing in these rags is not only substandard, but piss-poor. When you see it all right next to each other... You've got hacks writing about that which they do not know.
I've given up renewing magazines. One after another has folded before my term has expired. And sure, I'm missing something, but I'm getting a whole hell of a lot else in return. Info online, even TikTok. That's another thing the boomers hate, but if you want to know what is going on in this country, you need to tune in.
But then you'd have to question your anti-internet, anti-social media bias, and you don't want to cave, because it's part of your identity.
And DeJoy slowed down the mail to where you don't want to drop anything in the box, and you don't expect anything in return, except junk mail. If I'm looking for deals, once again I'll go online, at least they're au courant.
And now that the news cycle is so accelerated, the aforementioned "New Yorker" looks out of time and date. It's so combed over, so edited, that it's got no visceral element. Today it's all about being immediate. Which doesn't mean you can't fact check.
Which brings us to newspapers. Print is now on its last legs. Do you know how I know this? Because stories that appear in the app might not make it into the physical newspaper FOR WEEKS! Never mind all that never makes it at all. We're all checking our news apps all day long. News is no longer a once a day affair. Whether it be the physical newspaper or the 7 o'clock (or 6:30) TV news broadcast.
But now I've listed so many changes that you're pissed off. You believe in the past.
But soon you will be in the past.
That's another post-Covid element, I'm closer to the grave. And so many changes I attributed to my age, but really they're society broad.
A lot of this is acknowledged by all, like people wanting experiences more than assets. But those invested in the old paradigm are flummoxed...you mean people won't be impressed if I own this or that?
And bragging has just become amplified. Everybody's begging for attention.
And oldsters don't want to admit that we no longer live in a pyramid world. Where there are stars at the top and everything else below... No, the world has been flattened.
And more than ever, you're hearing about crazy people doing crazy things. If it bleeds, it leads used to be the credo of the 10 o'clock news, but now you're confronted with the bizarre all day long, wondering if you're normal or just out of the loop.
And you never know if something is a fad or here to stay. Today I saw someone with a tattoo over the back half of his head, half of his entire skull. Have we evolved to the point where we accept everybody and everything or will there ultimately be consequences? Will the next head of Microsoft have a neck tattoo? A face tattoo?
This is where my ancient mores come into play. If it's permanent...
That's what we always used to be threatened with in high school, that some misdeed or misadventure would go on our permanent record. Now we're leaving bread crumbs 24/7 online, which most people don't pay attention to until... We gain some notoriety, and then our entire past comes back to haunt us.
And then they say religion is dying, and just recently they said religion is coming back. It's kind of like Woody Allen's "Sleeper," where it turns out in the future that chocolate and smoking are some of the best things for you.
We're in uncharted territory culturally, not only politically. But those with their hands on the reins refuse to admit this.
Kind of like the movie actors. They've all realized they're not the stars they used to be, they're all on TV, and if they're on social media they're revealed to be no different from you and me.
It's kinda like the entire world digested a Devo album.
Then again, Devo would have no chance today. You don't want to be too outside, the mainstream will reject you. But what is the mainstream's power anyway? Everybody is trying to get to the top of the aforementioned pyramid which no longer exists.
But time keeps marching on, change keeps happening and one thing's for sure, since lockdown arrived five years ago...
Things are different.
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