It’s been a while since I checked in with this blog. A lot has changed. We’re post Pandemic. Russia is at war in Ukraine. My parents are divorcing. Roe vs. Wade is apparently being reversed in the Supreme Court. Our third child is graduating from High School. And we got a puppy– we’re dog owners. The personal level changes seem to be more or less happening at a normal pace (which is constantly speeding up as I get older). The national/global trend changes are shifting more quickly, from what I can tell. A lot of subtle but not so subtle changes have occurred. Let me list a few.
First, from where I sit it looks like there’s been a mass exodus from California (and similar liberal states) and from Facebook. Many seem to be fed up with the far left pandemic policies and the tyranny of the sisterhood of Karens. There still isn’t much outright confrontation, but people do seem to be voting with their feet.
Second, the mood that welcomed some truth telling about abuse that was the best part of the #metoo movement has now given way to exhaustion from the masses who supported and fanatical witch hunting by fringe remnant. I can’t help but wonder if the principles were never well anchored enough to have lasting benefits. I think, within the limited scope where they apply, the principles of seeing and calling out Abuse are actually still quite valid. As I recognized in the past, any movement that attracts as much attention and influence as the #metoo movement did, will inevitably attract attention seekers and power mongers eventually. I don’t think we have a final verdict on this trend, but the contest is much more even between the status quo and the #metoo ethos. Each has points of good sense and each has points of unreasoning hubris and self-aggrandizement.
Third, it seems likely that serious inflation has set in. It’s still not run-away, but the Fed is finally trying to rein it in. Can they do it without wrecking the economy? We will see.
Fourth, the Putin invasion of Ukraine is perhaps the best symbol of this era. We are simultaneously closer to the Cold War reality of Russian Nuclear War, and at the same time we’re apparently seeing Russia effectively beaten back by a Ukrainian force that wins primarily with shoulder mounted anti-tank missiles. Half the time it seems like this will be the end of the world, and the other half like it’s likely to remove Russia as a serious consideration in go-forward geopolitics for at least a couple of decades.
Finally, we’re Post Pandemic. My hot-take is that there’s a vast silent majority who have significant skepticism about the official line on COVID. People do not believe in “Science” or “Peer Reviewed Studies” or “Modern Medicine” anymore– at least not implicitly. We know it’s good for some things, but many grains of salt are now included when listening to the official line. There are people who still hope/expect not to get COVID and who might wear a Mask as protection to that end, but many of us have realized we likely have to get it, and will also likely survive that.
It’s surprising how many of the tectonic plates of our social/political world are shifting quietly but clearly. Things like Roe vs Wade and Russia showing its true colors by invading Ukraine are milestones, but somehow I’m surprised as we pass them how much things stay the same. So is it a new Era? I think it probably is happening, but exactly what that means isn’t yet clear. What are the characteristics of the new Era? That’s a good question. I think I’ll take a stab at trying to answer that in my next post.
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