Joe Allen
10 transitions that will define 2020 As we round off the weirdest year in living memory, let’s recount the transformations that gave it character
1 From Orange Scapegoat to Sacrificial Lamb
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n five short years, Donald Trump managed to conjure more hate than the Devil himself. By accident or design, this jerk exposed the Blue Tribe’s black heart, channelling the full bandwidth of their bad vibes onto his mean, orange mug. On a spiritual level, Trump functioned as a scapegoat for liberal America’s sins. So long as he was telling showroom lies or bullying the nearest reporter, the Left’s bloodthirsty media pundits, academics, actors, activists, and social media mobs could ignore their own malevolence and screech at the satyr onscreen. Assuming the ritual purge actually occurs, this unmasked scapegoat shall be driven into the desert, carrying the sins of the community with him. In his stead, a rickety old ram is being
prepared for sacrifice. In the full glory of time, Biden’s decomposing visage will give way to the luminous spirits of the righteous and the powerful. Those two will be the same from now on, at least in polite conversation.
2 From Social Life to the New Normal
R
emember when you could wander into a public library or museum at your leisure? It seems like only yesterday that stepping into a cafe or local market was a social event, with off-hand jokes and smiling faces. Universities were flashpoints of vitality, rather than cradles of neurosis. Now we’re singin’’ the blue state blues. In the old days, you could seek refuge in a church, or sidle up to strangers at the bar without first performing a protective mask ritual. Back then, people still had faces, and social interactions were
18 ColdType December 2020 | www.coldtype.net
organic. Those days are gone. Soon enough, the relentless “mask up” and “socially distance” propaganda will segue into vaccine promotion. But the subconscious effects will remain. Many will continue to see their neighbours and co-workers as potential biohazards. Deep down, they’ll harbour suspicion of the Other – and uphold trust in authority – just as they were conditioned to do. Long after the lockdowns are (tentatively) lifted, the intuition will remain that our aloof rulers can lock us down any time, at their pleasure. And we’ll have to pretend it’s for our own good.
