A Quite Possibly Wonderful Summer

[p8712]

A little optimism

The feeling could even go beyond that. The pain wrought by the virus has differed enormously by location, race, and class, but a global pandemic still may be as close as the world can come to a shared tragedy. Periods of intense hardship are sometimes followed by unique moments of collective catharsis or awakening. The 1918 influenza that left the planet short of some 50 million people—several times as many as had just been killed in a gruesome war—gave way to the Roaring ’20s, when Americans danced and flouted Prohibition, hearing the notes that weren’t being played. For some, the summer of 2021 might conjure that of 1967, when barefoot people swayed languidly in the grass, united by an appreciation for the tenuousness of life. Pre-pandemic complaints about a crowded subway car or a mediocre sandwich could be replaced by the awe of simply riding a bus or sitting in a diner. People might go out of their way to talk with strangers, merely to gaze upon the long-forbidden, exposed mouth of a speaking human.

In short, the summer could feel revelatory. The dramatic change in the trajectory and tenor of the news could give a sense that the pandemic is over. The energy of the moment could be an opportunity—or Americans could be dancing in the eye of a hurricane.

[Numo]

I think the feeling of shared experience is something we will have to regain before the country can heal. If it takes the pandemic to achieve this, perhaps it will have been worth it. But it also means many people will suffer greatly before that effect will be achieved.

[DeusxMac]

...summer of 2021 might conjure that of 1967, when barefoot people swayed languidly in the grass, united by an appreciation for the tenuousness of life.

1967 U.S. forces deaths in Vietnam - 11,363

[SteveG]

packing those churches on Easter will probably set things back another few months
-add in the no-vax contingent as well

[mrbigstuff]

I've been thinking a great deal about this, as my life revolves heavily around the arts and live music (although I'm not in that category, personally speaking).

I'm less optimistic. I don't see people's jobs bouncing back. And on top of that, I see a real fear among people about their mortality, to an exponential degree that I don't think has been part of the popular culture probably for generations, likely since that 1918 pandemic.

[p8712]

DeusxMac wrote:

...summer of 2021 might conjure that of 1967, when barefoot people swayed languidly in the grass, united by an appreciation for the tenuousness of life.

1967 U.S. forces deaths in Vietnam - 11,363

Addressed in the article.

[DeusxMac]

p8712 wrote:
[quote=DeusxMac]

...summer of 2021 might conjure that of 1967, when barefoot people swayed languidly in the grass, united by an appreciation for the tenuousness of life.

1967 U.S. forces deaths in Vietnam - 11,363

Addressed in the article.
Well then I'd have to read it, wouldn't I? :whine:

[Don C]

I wonder if we will share feelings for the tenuousness of life as much as sharing a feeling of invincibility. I made it, those folks didn't. I have no fear.