You know, when you take away art, sport, culture and recreation and leave only work to fill the void, you deal lasting damage to the soul. But this is what the German government has decided to do - again. Because we fetishise economies and venerate GDP, we lose sight of the opportunities that a crisis such as this pandemic can bring. Instead of slowing down the wheels of production and loosening the shackles that bind us to desks and production lines, we tighten them - times are hard and people are dying, but we must work, because we have to keep the economy going. We double down on the misery that puts a stain on every waking day of our lives. That means it is acceptable to continue to go to offices and meetings and public forums (yeah, some people are working from home, but many aren’t), and it is acceptable to continue sending children to schools so they can continue their 13-year indoctrination. The real scourge, meanwhile, is the small bar on the corner, run with passion by somebody who barely survived the summer and now has to watch their business die on its feet. They’re the ones responsible for spreading the virus, aren’t they, with their limited seating, strictly enforced spacing and gallons of disinfectant.
What will happen over the next four months is the fulfilment of Orwell's warning that "You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves." When we emerge from this next four-month block, there will be far fewer leisure institutions than ever for us to choose between. The playground’s gonna become a wasteland.
Blues for the grey future:
2. The Soft Pink Truth - Grace
3. Sewerslvt - Lexapro Delirium
5. Machine Girl - Out by 16, Dead on the Scene
obsolescence still life