Predictions on the next two months
(Who can predict anything in 2020, but here's a try.)
When SIP hit, we experienced a dizzying paradigm shift. When the BLM movement took off again, we experienced it as well. We are about to experience new paradigm shifts which will feel even more confusing.
There's a major spike in Covid cases right as the country begins to ""open up."" I believe most things should have opened up a month ago, and should be closing down right around now, but that's a conversation for another time.
We will see a weird, reverberative, dizzing intersection between at least two paradigms that will create splinters, doublethink, cross-talk, network effects, and whiplash within traditional divisions.
These divisions are real and important to discuss. They are also cracks which many will work to widen for their own ends. Russia, news networks, social networks, and many other players profit off of disagreement, so being vigilant about these techniques, lots of deep breaths, and self care will be really important in the coming times.
1. The virus: "Our authoritarian country is forcing us to stay at home."
(a) Trump wants to re-open to help the economy.
(b) He also wants to be seen as saving lives during Covid.
We are already seeing Lindsey Graham defend Trump by saying that "millions of lives have been saved, you can get jobs back but you can't get lives back" and I predict the narrative on the right to oscillate between defense of Trump and push to reopen.
People hard-hit (more on the right, some on the left), as well as those weary of self-isolation will call for re-opening. Others (more on the left, some on the right) will call for saving lives.
(2) Social justice: "Our authoritarian country is discounting black lives and the oppressed."
(a) The protests are critical and supported by a huge fraction of Americans (more on the left), and we want to continue now that there is some response. This moment feels different and we can't let it go.
(b) There will be protest fatigue, especially as the second Covid wave hits, with increasingly frenzied debates about social justice versus hospital deaths.
(c) This one seems truly crazy: we will see conservatives who formerly protested SIP blame liberal protesters for the second Covid wave, and raise the stay-at-home banner.
If 2020 has taught us one thing with certainty, it's that the future is uncertain, and none of us know where this will go. There will doubtless be many new issues brought up, both organically and as an attempt to stir the narrative pot.
May we live in interesting times...😂🤯