Normalised

24 December 2016

2016 has been a year of downs, and the potential for more of the same for the foreseeable future. 2017 isn’t likely to bring much in the way of relief, and I’ve already pretty-much written off the entire remaining noughtie-tens.

In no particular order:

• The divide between rich and poor will increase as both Brexit’s and Trump’s insular influences affect the world’s economies, and that’s just 2 issues,
• Melting polar ice caps will have a major impact on climate, climate control being something reduced in importance as governments prioritise other programmes,
• Peace across the world isn’t here YET, and looks increasingly unlikely to be achieved for at least my lifetime,
• A cure for cancer REMAINS 10-20 years away,
• Famine, the eradication of poverty: both are still with us and, though arenas with a glimmer of hope, both aren’t under control,
• Nuclear arms are set to increase as Trump’s insistence that his brand of populist nationalism is best for the USA. It’s only a matter of time before nuclear terrorism is a thing,
• The golden age of computers, a future that I’d imagined ever since I got my first has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. I’d imagined that the instant availability of information would be a thing to advance ‘society’. It turns out people don’t NEED facts, believe anyone who voices what they THINK should happen,
• Racism is acceptable already, not simply casual racism, but the overt ‘I’ll get away with this, what are you going to do about it?’ variety…

(breathes…)

• ‘Big’ Sam Allardyce has been employed as a football manager AGAIN, despite his prior and very recent and embarrassing history of corruption allegations,
• Carrie Fisher suffered a major heart attack yesterday and was hospitalised in critical comdition, the most recent figure I know of to be affected by thr curse of 2016. Take care Princess Leia, get well,
• Though inevitable, the death of popular figures has been a fixture of the year. I’m not sure I want to know if it’s a statistical aberration or just normal.

(sighs…)

That’ll do.

I’d like to imagine my family and I have a secure existence, to enable me to revel in Schadenfreude. But no, it’s never going to happen, I’ve one-too-many spare brain cells. Just the one. Give it four more years and check back in with me?

Dark? Of COURSE it’s dark! Don’t expect ignoring what’s ahead will remove it from your life; as-ever, understanding a situation is the key to dealing with it.

So, my word of the year is ‘Normalised’. It, along with the 366 days of 2016, most emphatically does NOT get Baz’s seal of approval.