Hello Beautiful People, today's blog entry is a little salty for me, I am going to do my best to be as objective as I can be..emphasis on trying.
Let's go...
For the last month or so I have been hearing people use the term "new normal" when describing this current climate we are living in. Saying "new normal," tells us to accept; to not be angry at the fact that this pandemic has greatly altered our lives, hold accountable those who kept relevant information from the public, or thought this was some hoax. Accepting the "new normal" normalizes the abnormal rate of death that we are experiencing on a daily basis. In the span of two days, my mother has lost 4 of her closest friends, one of whom spent the day dead in her bed before EMS picked her up because ambulance services are at capacity and must prioritize... and this is the "new normal??"
I hate the term, being elevated to almost sentimental value. It’s the linguistic equivalent of a shrug, merely another way of saying, “Whaddaya gonna do?” In the context of politics and economics, it implies that “the new normal” is a done deal, and there’s no point in doing anything but accepting that fact. So are we to accept the daily deaths? that NOW we need to pay attention to the socio-economically disadvantaged because this seems to be the population (blacks and Latinos in particular) as a result of underlying illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, heart, and lung disease are dying at a much higher rate than our Asian and Caucasian counterparts (NEWS FLASH prior to COVID 19, our people were dying of these ailments; COVID 19 just accelerates death). Prior to coronavirus people of color struggle with gaining access to affordable health care, healthy food, and quality education; there is nothing "new normal" about that..sadly it has always been this way. I am tired of the soapbox moments or empty pledges to help the underserved; forgive me as I have become jaded and believe that post coronavirus/COVID 19 will not produce the changes that are desperately needed for the underserved; I am not convinced.
In the context of the coronavirus, the phrase “the new normal” is even more insidious — and dangerous. It suggests that we as people have arrived at a new equilibrium, which is how things will be from now on. In fact, there is nothing “normal” — new or otherwise — about this world's pandemic situation.
In truth, the only honest way to describe our crisis is “the no normal."
So, where does this leave us? When facing something with truly dire consequences — a pandemic definitely qualifies — the only responsible course of action is to take a hard look at worst-case scenarios. Then, even if we’re not ready to take the radical action that would be required if the worst really happens, at least we can act to preserve our options.
As individuals and as a species, our normal reaction to radical uncertainty is to deny it. We make our best guess about the future — often heavily colored by wishful thinking — and muddle through. That’s understandable, but these are not normal times, and acting as if they are could be our undoing.
Uncomfortable? You should be. Welcome to the no normal!
“In an emerging or ongoing crisis, either you’re the virtuous agent of the solution or the destructive part of the problem.”
―Danny Castillones Sillada
