This virus shook the whole world up, there's no going back to the way things were for a long time. The economy crashed, celebrities are doing home concerts, making music videos in their homes with masks on (like Drake's new music video), recording their own songs in their homes, this is what makes up the culture right now. Social distancing is another big part of 2020s culture. This decade's culture started right on time.

For me, when a new year progresses into spring, it is sporting events that marks the timeline, first The University Boat Race, secind , the Grand  National, thirdly, the Augusta Masters, and the London Marathon, then it proper spring with the cricket season starting. So far this year, it has only been a virtual Grand National, looked good but CGI, there is an element missing, there is nothing happening out there!

Correct! The culture has arrived and is here. A tipping point has come. Things are being cemented now that will be considered normal from here on. Other things that were on their last legs and just lingering on will not recover and will be swept out. This is a far bigger tipping point that September 11. This might be the biggest one since the assassination of JFK from which sprung the cultural 60s.

For me, when a new year progresses into spring, it is sporting events that marks the timeline, first The University Boat Race, secind , the Grand  National, thirdly, the Augusta Masters, and the London Marathon, then it proper spring with the cricket season starting. So far this year, it has only been a virtual Grand National, looked good but CGI, there is an element missing, there is nothing happening out there!


You're talking about the old culture. The new culture is happening all around you right now, a mile a minute.

You're talking about the old culture. The new culture is happening all around you right now, a mile a minute.
...and the new culture will all be different?

Who said that? If someone believes life will somehow just perfectly go back the way it was before this pandemic, then they're just beyond delusional.

"Social distancing" is now in the lexicon of most people around the world, a majority of people around the world are affected by the virus, most people here in America are stuck at home, and teleconferencing and group chatting are blowing up now.

I accept that we're in the 2020s culture mostly, but mainstream music is still in a purgatory state between the late 2010s and early 2020s.

Correct! The culture has arrived and is here. A tipping point has come. Things are being cemented now that will be considered normal from here on. Other things that were on their last legs and just lingering on will not recover and will be swept out. This is a far bigger tipping point than September 11. This might be the biggest one since the assassination of JFK from which sprung the cultural 60s.


As someone who has no memory of that tragic day, I would have to agree. 9/11 closed down some public places, all airports, and postponed some events across America after the attacks took place. But things systematically came back and everyone still had their normal lives.

This is the opposite. All public places and events have been shut down and most people are stuck at home for the foreseeable future. We would still have normal life after this as well, but things definitely won't be the same again.

According to the New York Times, the pandemic has starkly changed the way we use the internet. See the article here, including graphs:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.html

Some  excerpts from the article:

With nearly all public gatherings called off, Americans are seeking out entertainment on streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, and looking to connect with one another on social media outlets like Facebook.

In the past few years, users of these services were increasingly moving to their smartphones, creating an industrywide focus on mobile. Now that we are spending our days at home, with computers close at hand, Americans appear to be remembering how unpleasant it can be to squint at those little phone screens.

Facebook, Netflix and YouTube have all seen user numbers on their phone apps stagnate or fall off as their websites have grown, the data from SimilarWeb and Apptopia indicates. SimilarWeb and Apptopia both draw their traffic numbers from several independent sources to create data that can be compared across the internet.

While traditional social media sites have been growing, it seems that we want to do more than just connect through messaging and text — we want to see one another. This has given a big boost to apps that used to linger in relative obscurity, like Google’s video chatting application, Duo, and Houseparty, which allows groups of friends to join a single video chat and play games together.

We have also grown much more interested in our immediate environment, and how it is changing and responding to the virus and the quarantine measures. This has led to a renewed interest in Nextdoor, the social media site focused on connecting local neighborhoods.

Amid the uncertainty about how bad the outbreak could get — there are now hundreds of thousands of cases in the United States, with the number of dead multiplying by the day — Americans appear to want few things more than the latest news on the coronavirus.

Among the biggest beneficiaries are local news sites, with huge jumps in traffic as people try to learn how the pandemic is affecting their hometowns.

Americans have also been seeking out more established media brands for information on the public health crisis and its economic consequences. CNBC, the business news site, has seen readership skyrocket. The websites for The New York Times and The Washington Post have both grown traffic more than 50 percent over the last month, according to SimilarWeb.

The desire for the latest facts on the virus appears to be curbing interest in the more opinionated takes from partisan sites, which have defined the media landscape in recent years. Publications like The Daily Caller, on the right, and Truthdig on the left, have recorded stagnant or falling numbers. Even Fox News has seen disappointing numbers compared to other large outlets.

You're talking about the old culture. The new culture is happening all around you right now, a mile a minute.


eSports might become real sports. I remember when my friend in 2008 said he wanted to win Halo (video game) Major League Gaming (MLG) competitions and live off the earnings, and I just politely laughed. In the ensuing years MLG really took off, and with this lockdown eSports is hitting new highs.

This comic has become reality ;D

https://thingsthatmadeanimpression.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/comic-farside-larson-nintendo.jpg?w=900

For me this virus marks the start of the 2020’s. All of this social distancing is introducing a new wave of social interactions that may be used in the future...I even think that many tech industries are going to start making tech that makes it even easier to stay inside. Working from home may be even more common ground than years before. I believe that this may have an influence on pop culture as well. As of right now pop culture is still an extension of the late 10’s with certain modifications due to the virus (Drake). But I do believe eventually we will return to normal with some time. Hopefully in a few years.

"Social distancing" is now in the lexicon of most people around the world, a majority of people around the world are affected by the virus, most people here in America are stuck at home, and teleconferencing and group chatting are blowing up now.

I accept that we're in the 2020s culture mostly, but mainstream music is still in a purgatory state between the late 2010s and early 2020s.


wearing face masks and gloves may now be the new norm.

wearing face masks and gloves may now be the new norm.

Drake did his best trying to make staying home and wearing a face mask look cool lol.

wearing face masks and gloves may now be the new norm.


Although you are likely right, it will be interesting to see how it all works out legality-wise. Just a few short months ago if you had walked into a convenience store (or God forbid, a BANK) with a bandanna or mask covering your face and gloves on your hands (no fingerprints) the police would have been called immediately. As things slowly return to "normalcy" (when they do) there will likely be individuals who will take advantage of their newly found masked anonymity to commit crimes.

This virus shook the whole world up, there's no going back to the way things were for a long time. The economy crashed, celebrities are doing home concerts, making music videos in their homes with masks on (like Drake's new music video), recording their own songs in their homes, this is what makes up the culture right now. Social distancing is another big part of 2020s culture. This decade's culture started right on time.
People believe a new culture would flourish without the existence of the virus. The virus was not something planned by anyone.

People believe a new culture would flourish without the existence of the virus. The virus was not something planned by anyone.


That's exactly why! The virus wasn't planned and thus forced a new, somewhat unexpected culture upon us. It's no to say that the culture wouldn't have changed ANYWAY, but it wouldn't necessarily have changed in THIS way. And it would have taken longer. Let's say that without the virus the culture may have "evolved" at it's own pace, but with the virus the change was FORCED upon us.

Having said that, not EVERYTHING about it is unexpected but rather just "hurried along". Like I've said elsewhere, things that were dying a lingering death anyway like movie theaters or floundering dinosaur businesses like Macy's (which was about to go the way of Sears) will just be swept away. Things that were up and coming like working from home, Zoom meetings, etc will be cemented. As well as these brand new genres like celebrities doing virtual performances from home.

...well as these brand new genres like celebrities doing virtual performances from home.
To add to the brand new genres, in sport last weekend in horse racing, a virtual Grand National was held and shown on UK television, and in tennis Andy Murray is one of 16 male and 16 female tennis players who will play from their own homes in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro from 27 to 30 April. The tournament will be shown on television and online. Can other sports be done this way, finding that team sport may be difficult?

Although you are likely right, it will be interesting to see how it all works out legality-wise. Just a few short months ago if you had walked into a convenience store (or God forbid, a BANK) with a bandanna or mask covering your face and gloves on your hands (no fingerprints) the police would have been called immediately. As things slowly return to "normalcy" (when they do) there will likely be individuals who will take advantage of their newly found masked anonymity to commit crimes.


I see a lot of people in the parking lot wearing bandanas looking like a gangster who want to rob a bank but I just hope I don't have to wear them in the cold winter.

As someone who has no memory of that tragic day, I would have to agree. 9/11 closed down some public places, all airports, and postponed some events across America after the attacks took place. But things systematically came back and everyone still had their normal lives.

This is the opposite. All public places and events have been shut down and most people are stuck at home for the foreseeable future. We would still have normal life after this as well, but things definitely won't be the same again.


Uh...things did not go back to normal after 9/11.

Well... it does seem like the 2020s culture has indeed begun politically and lifestyle wise. But culturally 2021 feels like it will truly hit full gear! But yeah it does feel like the 2010s era came to an end this year!! It’s influences will linger for a bit, bu still tho!

People believe a new culture would flourish without the existence of the virus. The virus was not something planned by anyone.


I agree that it wasn't planned, but it radically changed the way how we live our lives now, and after the pandemic's over, there will probably be significant societal changes.

Uh...things did not go back to normal after 9/11.



We were a long way from getting back to normal.

To add to the brand new genres, in sport last weekend in horse racing, a virtual Grand National was held and shown on UK television, and in tennis Andy Murray is one of 16 male and 16 female tennis players who will play from their own homes in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro from 27 to 30 April. The tournament will be shown on television and online. Can other sports be done this way, finding that team sport may be difficult?
There is now a virtual athletics race being organised now.

...what about Formula 1 and golf?

Uh...things did not go back to normal after 9/11.


What I mean by that is that while people were on edge for the next terrorist attack after 9/11 took place (the anthrax attacks didn't help much either), life still had relative normalcy. People went back to work, kids went to school, cars were driving to and fro on the streets and highways, and airplanes eventually flew (with tighter security precautions in airports, of course).

What I mean by that is that while people were on edge for the next terrorist attack after 9/11 took place (the anthrax attacks didn't help much either), life still had relative normalcy. People went back to work, kids went to school, cars were driving to and fro on the streets and highways, and airplanes eventually flew (with tighter security precautions in airports, of course).


You are basically right. The main change after 9/11 was a shift in consciousness that an attack by foreign terrorists on such a large scale could happen on US soil. And security measures were put in place (or not, but supposed to have been) as a result. But the feeling of "oneness" (in the US) that was brought about by 9/11 dissipated pretty quickly. The slump in air travel was temporary at best, and that was about it. Establishments didn't go out of business on a large scale. The virus is something bigger, something with far greater long term effects on the culture and the human race. The pandemic is the biggest tipping point we have had since the assassination of John Kennedy which ushered in the cultural 60s. The Vietnam War (and the accompanying draft) was a big one, but it dragged on so long it wasn't a tipping point so much as a continuous avalanche.

I agree that it wasn't planned, but it radically changed the way how we live our lives now, and after the pandemic's over, there will probably be significant societal changes.

You are basically right. The main change after 9/11 was a shift in consciousness that an attack by foreign terrorists on such a large scale could happen on US soil. And security measures were put in place (or not, but supposed to have been) as a result. But the feeling of "oneness" (in the US) that was brought about by 9/11 dissipated pretty quickly. The slump in air travel was temporary at best, and that was about it. Establishments didn't go out of business on a large scale. The virus is something bigger, something with far greater long term effects on the culture and the human race. The pandemic is the biggest tipping point we have had since the assassination of John Kennedy which ushered in the cultural 60s. The Vietnam War (and the accompanying draft) was a big one, but it dragged on so long it wasn't a tipping point so much as a continuous avalanche.
I can imagine these changes will only be for the worse. Telling too, that governments are prioritizing the economy's wellbeing over that of the environment and civil rights when the virus comes to pass.

I can imagine these changes will only be for the worse. Telling too, that governments are prioritizing the economy's wellbeing over that of the environment and civil rights when the virus comes to pass.


I could definitely see changes being worse. After 9/11, there was the Terror Warning system, aforementioned tighter security restrictions, terror paranoia, the controversial Patriot Act (which I hate and believe it's a violation of the 4th Amendment) and the Iraq War.

I think there will be similar cautions like post-9/11, but more towards about maintaining good health like handwashing.

I could definitely see changes being worse. After 9/11, there was the Terror Warning system, aforementioned tighter security restrictions, terror paranoia, the controversial Patriot Act (which I hate and believe it's a violation of the 4th Amendment) and the Iraq War.

I think there will be similar cautions like post-9/11, but more towards about maintaining good health like handwashing.



And also wearing your masks and gloves while in public.

I could definitely see changes being worse. After 9/11, there was the Terror Warning system, aforementioned tighter security restrictions, terror paranoia, the controversial Patriot Act (which I hate and believe it's a violation of the 4th Amendment) and the Iraq War.

I think there will be similar cautions like post-9/11, but more towards about maintaining good health like handwashing.


And also wearing your masks and gloves while in public.
And controlling one's movements.

With how this economic crash looks to be brutal on small businesses, the "small instagrameable cafe-shop in gentrified hipster neighborhoods" culture is pretty much dead and buried at this point. And that's very un-2010s.

With how this economic crash looks to be brutal on small businesses, the "small instagrameable cafe-shop in gentrified hipster neighborhoods" culture is pretty much dead and buried at this point. And that's very un-2010s.

Yup, it switched to balcony culture. People are making "home cafes" and socializing on their balconies now.

Yup, it switched to balcony culture. People are making "home cafes" and socializing on their balconies now.


I won't be surprised if the trend continues throughout the decade.

With how this economic crash looks to be brutal on small businesses, the "small instagrameable cafe-shop in gentrified hipster neighborhoods" culture is pretty much dead and buried at this point. And that's very un-2010s.


I doubt restaurants are going anywhere, to be honest. That's one industry I expect to remain unaffected through all this. They're shut down right now but they can take out loans or they'll be replaced by newer restaurants; something's gotta pay the rent.

I doubt restaurants are going anywhere, to be honest. That's one industry I expect to remain unaffected through all this. They're shut down right now but they can take out loans or they'll be replaced by newer restaurants; something's gotta pay the rent.

No one will want to sit in restaurants because of the virus. So it makes no difference whether they decide to open or not. We don't know for sure when the virus will be contained and when things will return back to normal.

With how this economic crash looks to be brutal on small businesses, the "small instagrameable cafe-shop in gentrified hipster neighborhoods" culture is pretty much dead and buried at this point. And that's very un-2010s.
Amen to that. I've heard gentrification is racist. Otherwise I've never really liked that sort of 2010s aesthetic which has made its way into haircuts, music, food, graphic design (with the exception of flat design in many cases) etc. I kind of had a thing against kale because it was a "2010s" food, but usually I eat it anyway since I can't or shouldn't complain about the food I'm getting, especially if it's greens.

In a forum that grasps at every little straw (e.g. "I heard a slightly different beat in a 2019 song, so it must be the 20s now!!"), I wouldn't put too much stock into "cultural change" until this crisis passes. We're in the midst of it, so it is unclear how people will respond once there's a vaccine. But based on the slow response to social distancing (at least in the US), it seems more likely people will resume to their former habits (or even worse!) once this is over. Americans haven't learned a damn thing from 9/11, Iraq, or the collapse of 2008. What makes you think they'll suddenly change drastically post COVID-19? The attention span after a mass shooting is that of a fly. COVID-19 will become another forgettable footnote in our endless 24/7 "breaking news" cycle. 

The bigger question is the economic impact.

No one will want to sit in restaurants because of the virus. So it makes no difference whether they decide to open or not. We don't know for sure when the virus will be contained and when things will return back to normal.


Once the virus is gone maybe in 2021 or 2022, going to restaurants or bars is one of the first "normal" things people will want to get back into. Things like retail stores will have a harder time surviving with online shopping taking off; but there's no digital replacement for going out to restaurants and bars with your friends or family.

I’m gonna have to agree with Slowpoke, restaurants will not go away after the pandemic. Food is a cultural thing and people love to go out with friends and family to have a bite. Plus, many people are lazy to cook their own food.

In a forum that grasps at every little straw (e.g. "I heard a slightly different beat in a 2019 song, so it must be the 20s now!!"), I wouldn't put too much stock into "cultural change" until this crisis passes. We're in the midst of it, so it is unclear how people will respond once there's a vaccine. But based on the slow response to social distancing (at least in the US), it seems more likely people will resume to their former habits (or even worse!) once this is over. Americans haven't learned a damn thing from 9/11, Iraq, or the collapse of 2008. What makes you think they'll suddenly change drastically post COVID-19? The attention span after a mass shooting is that of a fly. COVID-19 will become another forgettable footnote in our endless 24/7 "breaking news" cycle. 

The bigger question is the economic impact.


OMFG. THANK YOU.

Brick and mortar stores have been dropping like flies for years, this will just speed it up. Restaurants will come back, but I think a lot more will convert to food trucks because it’s so much more efficient. That has been really taking off here in recent years. There’s even one (at least in photos, never went there) that runs 6 different food trucks into a pole building for winter (of course with proper ducted exhaust etc).

I’m hoping this really drives home the fact that high speed internet isn’t just a novelty for entertainment but a necessity these days. The monopoly here has refused to install it in many areas like mine for decades. Finally our electric company has stepped up and taken on the task full force but it’s going to take another decade to finish. Mine was due this fall but hard telling now. Lots of people at my company are able to work from home but not me. Spotty service on an iPhone doesn’t cut it.

If we had better connectivity, lots of things could change. Schools could save a ton of money by doing a lot of teaching remotely. Not only that but with all the concerns of school shootings and bomb threats, all the shutdowns due to snowstorms and flu outbreaks that end up sometimes being a month of school missed anyway... And some schools here have been having kids do all their work on iPads for at least the last 5 years anyway. The future of brick and mortar schools has been iffy for awhile, this may speed the decline.

I was watching Fallon and Kimmel tonight, making a broadcast from home, having everyone connected and even 9 band members doing a song each from their home. Newscasters all reporting in from different places. I think that this has broken the ice for this kinda thing to be socially acceptable and we will see a lot more of it after this is done. Why fly cross country and/or deal with traffic jams when you can just do a show remotely? This came so sudden and it’s also the in thing right now to broadcast in your pjs but I see more people making actual mini studios at home and broadcasting from there in the future.

The way parts of previous decades foreshadowed the next decade but you don’t know it till you looked back... A lot of people, primarily teens I think, who never wanted to get a drivers license or leave the house and did everything and connected with people online all day... Many adults including myself frowned on that. But they are the ones most comfortable in these times and don’t even really have to change and now that’s what most of us are supposed to be doing. That will be the part of the 2010s that foreshadowed the 2020s culture.

A lot of areas like mine have a ways to go, but even still there is SO much that we CAN still do these days due to the connectivity we do have. Younger folks don’t know any different and take it for granted. But had this happened say in 1990 we would have been pretty much in the dark. No internet, email, video chat, online ordering, anything unless you got in your car and went out. Best you’d be able to do for instant connection would be voice calls. One might think the switchboard would be overloaded like some internet is now, but phone was limited and expensive. You might have spent 20 or 30 cents a minute. When sprint came out with 10 cents a minute it was a really good deal. Geez at 43 I sound like an old fart saying this but seriously, anybody who thinks they are cut off from the world now don’t know how good they got it compared to what could have been. Last year at this time I had nothing but a text only tracfone and dial up which was pretty much worthless but I still pulled tricks to get on here and some other sites. Now at least I got a little something. Maybe why I’m more than happy spending quiet time on my property during these times.

One thing I am afraid of however, is when (or if) the economy recovers, that shutting down the world will be the normal way of dealing with things. Hey it worked once. Next Ebola, sars (well this is it), swine flu, heck even regular flu, high terror alert, you name it.... close and cancel everything and nobody leave their house.

I’m gonna have to agree with Slowpoke, restaurants will not go away after the pandemic. Food is a cultural thing and people love to go out with friends and family to have a bite. Plus, many people are lazy to cook their own food.

I never said they would go away after the pandemic I said they won't be opening back up for a while because of the pandemic so that affects the restaurant scene right now. We don't know for sure when this thing will go away.

I think what people aren't understanding are the ripple effects. It's not just about the virus. The entire economy is crashing before our very own eyes. Something like this has never happened before. Even if the virus gets contained and goes away this year, the effects of it will last the entire decade... Life will never be the same after this. I really can't see a recovery, the entire system of the west, commercialism and the economy is degrading.

In a forum that grasps at every little straw (e.g. "I heard a slightly different beat in a 2019 song, so it must be the 20s now!!"), I wouldn't put too much stock into "cultural change" until this crisis passes. We're in the midst of it, so it is unclear how people will respond once there's a vaccine. But based on the slow response to social distancing (at least in the US), it seems more likely people will resume to their former habits (or even worse!) once this is over. Americans haven't learned a damn thing from 9/11, Iraq, or the collapse of 2008. What makes you think they'll suddenly change drastically post COVID-19? The attention span after a mass shooting is that of a fly. COVID-19 will become another forgettable footnote in our endless 24/7 "breaking news" cycle. 

The bigger question is the economic impact.


Yeah I agree, until we've reached a point where the virus has radically changed popular culture and other factors in a long term and even more drastic way then we could say it shaped or marked the pop culture of the 2020s imo.

In a forum that grasps at every little straw (e.g. "I heard a slightly different beat in a 2019 song, so it must be the 20s now!!"), I wouldn't put too much stock into "cultural change" until this crisis passes. We're in the midst of it, so it is unclear how people will respond once there's a vaccine. But based on the slow response to social distancing (at least in the US), it seems more likely people will resume to their former habits (or even worse!) once this is over. Americans haven't learned a damn thing from 9/11, Iraq, or the collapse of 2008. What makes you think they'll suddenly change drastically post COVID-19? The attention span after a mass shooting is that of a fly. COVID-19 will become another forgettable footnote in our endless 24/7 "breaking news" cycle.

The bigger question is the economic impact.


Unfortunately, many economists are saying that the fallout from the pandemic could be as signficant as the Great Depression (or even worse) due to deflation concerns. Lower prices make it harder for companies to pay back a recent debt bubble: https://www.ccn.com/how-deflation-could-doom-the-economy-to-a-new-great-depression/

But I'm not sure people will forget where they were during the pandemic. Lives were altered (and ruined for people who lost loved ones) in only a matter of a few weeks as almost everyone is now isolated in their homes in the US and they could only go out for essential needs. It's something to tell and warn future generations about.

I doubt restaurants are going anywhere, to be honest. That's one industry I expect to remain unaffected through all this. They're shut down right now but they can take out loans or they'll be replaced by newer restaurants; something's gotta pay the rent.
Well I wasn't talking about restaurants in general (and still the market is probably permanently hurt for the next few years), more so all those "avocado toast, kombucha and vegan alt food shops with minimalist interieurs"
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/595422db03596e6e6643cc50/1504786216247-F47UL4LKZN12M791CMKB/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kA_SSaoz4elkj-HsZd8gX3Z7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UWPwZyNcweDIvdeL5kotwkIXjs9g0WibSO_cU-Ijy4Pwg6poS-6WGGnXqDacZer4yQ/MOSS+-+BAR+PALMIER+-+%C2%A9+Pieter+D%27Hoop+-5.jpg?format=1500w

In a forum that grasps at every little straw (e.g. "I heard a slightly different beat in a 2019 song, so it must be the 20s now!!"), I wouldn't put too much stock into "cultural change" until this crisis passes. We're in the midst of it, so it is unclear how people will respond once there's a vaccine. But based on the slow response to social distancing (at least in the US), it seems more likely people will resume to their former habits (or even worse!) once this is over. Americans haven't learned a damn thing from 9/11, Iraq, or the collapse of 2008. What makes you think they'll suddenly change drastically post COVID-19? The attention span after a mass shooting is that of a fly. COVID-19 will become another forgettable footnote in our endless 24/7 "breaking news" cycle. 

The bigger question is the economic impact.
This is the most catastrophic event since World War 2 easily, how is it ridiculous to assume this will have a dramatic impact on the future??????? We haven't seen something comparable in the modern timeline. Assuming this will get forgotten in the near future is extremely laughable. If people haven't forgotten about the recession, no way this will ever get forgotten. This puts practically every aspect of our lives in question, and we'd inevitably have to rethink concepts we took for granted before.

I think what people aren't understanding are the ripple effects. It's not just about the virus. The entire economy is crashing before our very own eyes. Something like this has never happened before. Even if the virus gets contained and goes away this year, the effects of it will last the entire decade... Life will never be the same after this. I really can't see a recovery, the entire system of the west, commercialism and the economy is degrading.
Governments are scrambling to recover the economy as soon as the virus passes with likely little regard for civil rights. We have entered dystopia.

Governments are scrambling to recover the economy as soon as the virus passes with likely little regard for civil rights. We have entered dystopia.


It might be a good time to leave the country if we still can. Even though pretty much every country will take some damage, the United States will be a lot worse off than it ever was. I'm thinking like the Great Depression mixed with crime rates of the crack epidemic days of the late 80's/early 90's.

And controlling one's movements.


And wiping down everything or just about everything that's germ filled.

Yup, it switched to balcony culture. People are making "home cafes" and socializing on their balconies now.


What's "balcony culture"?

No one will want to sit in restaurants because of the virus. So it makes no difference whether they decide to open or not. We don't know for sure when the virus will be contained and when things will return back to normal.


That's why people will be eating breakfast lunch or dinner from their homes.

I never said they would go away after the pandemic I said they won't be opening back up for a while because of the pandemic so that affects the restaurant scene right now. We don't know for sure when this thing will go away.



But restaurants will be losing a lot of money?

What's "balcony culture"?


Sounds like the old days, it was front porch sittin. What’s old is new again.

I just watched SNL. First show since quarantine started. A full show with all performers and band members connecting in the rough from their homes. Music performer from home too. Very experimental and raw. And I loved it. This stuff is like cutting edge. If building a show remotely becomes the norm it will end up being more polished. Right now it’s really cool and interesting. I had gotten so tired of the same old thing that I barely have watched TV in a long time. Unfortunate events that got us here but I’m looking forward to what I might see on TV now.

I wouldn't put too much stock into "cultural change" until this crisis passes.

I agree with this, right now we're in a transitional period. We may not see the culture change hit full swing until next year around this time!!  :o :o :o

Sounds like the old days, it was front porch sittin. What’s old is new again.



never heard of that but isn't it the same as "house culture"?

What's "balcony culture"?
Here: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200409-the-history-of-balconies

never heard of that but isn't it the same as "house culture"?


I think by balcony culture he means how people are socializing with each other or playing instruments from their balconies to keep their neighbours entertained. It seems to be a thing mainly in Italy and other cities where balconies are common. Balconies aren't very common where I live though.

I think by balcony culture he means how people are socializing with each other or playing instruments from their balconies to keep their neighbours entertained. It seems to be a thing mainly in Italy and other cities where balconies are common. Balconies aren't very common where I live though.
As from their own balconies there are keeping their distance.

I agree with this, right now we're in a transitional period. We may not see the culture change hit full swing until next year around this time!!  :o :o :o


I honestly can't wait to see what 2021 will have in store. Hopefully the pandemic will die out next year, and everyone's free to move outside their homes once again and go to any place they want.

It'd be like the golden year.  ;D

I think by balcony culture he means how people are socializing with each other or playing instruments from their balconies to keep their neighbours entertained. It seems to be a thing mainly in Italy and other cities where balconies are common. Balconies aren't very common where I live though.
Even Juliet kept distance from Romeo on her balcony?

Even Juliet kept distance from Romeo on her balcony?


Didn't he also climb into her room from the balcony? I can't remember.

Didn't he also climb into her room from the balcony? I can't remember.
I thought that, but did not wishing to mentioned it,  to imply any breaking of the distancing rule.

I thought that, but did not wishing to mentioned it,  to imply any breaking of the distancing rule.


I wouldn't let him in. Plague was really common in the 16th century, not to mention Syphilis :o

I wouldn't let him in. Plague was really common in the 16th century, not to mention Syphilis :o
"Out darn spot!", no that is a different Shakespeare play.

"Out darn spot!", no that is a different Shakespeare play.


;D ;D ;D I have to wait 24 hours before I can give you more karamel.

;D ;D ;D I have to wait 24 hours before I can give you more karamel.
O0

I wouldn't let him in. Plague was really common in the 16th century, not to mention Syphilis :o


Syph is still raging these days in some areas.

I think by balcony culture he means how people are socializing with each other or playing instruments from their balconies to keep their neighbours entertained. It seems to be a thing mainly in Italy and other cities where balconies are common. Balconies aren't very common where I live though.

Exactly. I didn't come up with the term lol. I just repeated what someone else said here when they said balcony culture,which is what's happening now.

I think by balcony culture he means how people are socializing with each other or playing instruments from their balconies to keep their neighbours entertained. It seems to be a thing mainly in Italy and other cities where balconies are common. Balconies aren't very common where I live though.



So why is that considered a culture?  ???

I honestly can't wait to see what 2021 will have in store. Hopefully the pandemic will die out next year, and everyone's free to move outside their homes once again and go to any place they want.

It'd be like the golden year.  ;D



I'm with you, I'm tired of being stuck inside the house except going to work then coming home afterwards.

So why is that considered a culture?  ???
Because it has formed from the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.

So why is that considered a culture?  ???

Because it is.

RIP Neoliberal era of 1990-2019!

I feel like this virus is sort of the beginning of the future in a way.

I feel like this virus is sort of the beginning of the future in a way.


It's probably the beginning of a new cultural era, imo. I'm not sure how post-pandemic life will completely change, but I know it won't be the same.

Another thing is all the school closings, many of which will not re-open for the rest of the school year., At some point this lost time will have to be made up. An entire school year pretty much. This will mean people will graduate both high school and college at an older age. This is bound to have a ripple effect as well. And it's not a pleasant thought anyway. I wouldn't want to be 19 or 20 and still be in high school. 

Another thing is all the school closings, many of which will not re-open for the rest of the school year., At some point this lost time will have to be made up. An entire school year pretty much. This will mean people will graduate both high school and college at an older age. This is bound to have a ripple effect as well. And it's not a pleasant thought anyway. I wouldn't want to be 19 or 20 and still be in high school.

That won't happen. Schools are simply switching to online distribution now or for smaller children, home shooling. Everyone would still be graduating at the same age, that's for sure. It's just all switched to online. 

That won't happen. Schools are simply switching to online distribution now or for smaller children, home shooling. Everyone would still be graduating at the same age, that's for sure. It's just all switched to online.


That's not completely accurate. many public school systems in cities and towns have shut down with no online system in place. Some are doing limited online teaching that will not be graded and with attendance not being taken. It's very slapdash. Not to mention many poor students in inner cities simply don't have access to online learning. (Yes, it's true). Some colleges have simply shut down for the rest of the semester (at least). There is basically a year that WILL have to be made up. One more cultural ripple to take into consideration.

That's not completely accurate. many public school systems in cities and towns have shut down with no online system in place. Some are doing limited online teaching that will not be graded and with attendance not being taken. It's very slapdash. Not to mention many poor students in inner cities simply don't have access to online learning. (Yes, it's true). Some colleges have simply shut down for the rest of the semester (at least). There is basically a year that WILL have to be made up. One more cultural ripple to take into consideration.

Not here it isn't like that. The switch to online delivery methods was pretty painless as they already had something in place. It will be easy to get it up and running by September. But I agree with you regardless things won't be the same after this.

Not here it isn't like that. The switch to online delivery methods was pretty painless as they already had something in place. It will be easy to get it up and running by September. But I agree with you regardless things won't be the same after this.
Online deliveries fine, but there are still rogues out there and parcels are not delivery when claimed to be, or just still not delivered.

I just watched SNL. First show since quarantine started. A full show with all performers and band members connecting in the rough from their homes. Music performer from home too. Very experimental and raw. And I loved it. This stuff is like cutting edge. If building a show remotely becomes the norm it will end up being more polished. Right now it’s really cool and interesting. I had gotten so tired of the same old thing that I barely have watched TV in a long time. Unfortunate events that got us here but I’m looking forward to what I might see on TV now.


Yes, layers of pretension are being stripped away, we are seeing things from celebrities in a more unvarnished state. I like this realism and minimalism. It's almost like new art forms are being created in front of our eyes, out of necessity. "Necessity is the mother of invention" as the old saying goes. So while the pandemic remains a tragic situation, creativity is flourishing, because it basically has no choice. This is a good thing and hopefully it will carry on (and evolve) in the post-pandemic society because people have become tired of the phoniness and gloss and dismal glitter of the Taylor Swifts and the Katy Perrys. Celebrities who are revealing themselves to be tone deaf and out of touch from their rose petal strewn milk baths will be swept away. And with the decline and eventual demise of movie theaters, now hurried along by the pandemic, the content of movies may take a turn to the more introspective and ambiguous also. Bye bye to the empty marvel Superheros blockbusters which would not present as well in formats outside the theaters. Perhaps post-pandemic movies will provide something more than just the empty calories of such films.

Oh, there's a might wind a-blowin'. 

Another thing is all the school closings, many of which will not re-open for the rest of the school year., At some point this lost time will have to be made up. An entire school year pretty much. This will mean people will graduate both high school and college at an older age. This is bound to have a ripple effect as well. And it's not a pleasant thought anyway. I wouldn't want to be 19 or 20 and still be in high school.


This is not good at all, how are kids supposed to get an education at home, just not the same but the good thing when it comes to lunchtime you don't need a lunchlady just raid your very own refrigerator.

This is not good at all, how are kids supposed to get an education at home, just not the same but the good thing when it comes to lunchtime you don't need a lunchlady just raid your very own refrigerator.


While that can be true in some instances, it's not true for every child and that's why they rely on school meals for nutrition. Sorry, I had to edit my early comment saying it's just true when it entirely isn't.

But anyways, I feel really sad for kids with low income families. They mostly seem to be on the back burner of this crisis when it comes to education.

This is not good at all, how are kids supposed to get an education at home, just not the same but the good thing when it comes to lunchtime you don't need a lunchlady just raid your very own refrigerator.


You said more than you know. Part of the problem with schools being closed in low income urban areas is that the children depended on the schools to provide free lunch. In some areas the schools remained open for some time after classes were suspended just to feed the children. It's a bad situation. They have no refrigerator to raid at home.

You said more than you know. Part of the problem with schools being closed in low income urban areas is that the children depended on the schools to provide free lunch. In some areas the schools remained open for some time after classes were suspended just to feed the children. It's a bad situation. They have no refrigerator to raid at home.

Hopefully the government has something in place to help them out.

While that can be true in some instances, it's not true for every child and that's why they rely on school meals for nutrition. Sorry, I had to edit my early comment saying it's just true when it entirely isn't.

But anyways, I feel really sad for kids with low income families. They mostly seem to be on the back burner of this crisis when it comes to education.


But you can easily make a healthy meal at home.

But you can easily make a healthy meal at home.


Not if you don't have any money you can't. Also, some kids in urban schools don't even have a home to make this mythical healthy meal in. Homeless students are part of the student population in urban areas like New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, etc.  I used to say the same thing. "When did it become the school's job to provide students with free meals?". But apparently it has.

RIP Neoliberal era of 1990-2019!
We can only hope

Not if you don't have any money you can't. Also, some kids in urban schools don't even have a home to make this mythical healthy meal in. Homeless students are part of the student population in urban areas like New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, etc.  I used to say the same thing. "When did it become the school's job to provide students with free meals?". But apparently it has.


The families of kids who qualify for school free lunch are typically the same ones who qualify for state assistance. However getting that right now is next to impossible. With a million people filing for unemployment, or they say 25% of our workforce. And that doesn’t include all the self employed and cash workers who don’t qualify. I saw a report that said federal unemployment is 10%. Maybe so, but we are at 10% when the economy is good. I bet we are 70% right now.

We can only hope


Indeed

The families of kids who qualify for school free lunch are typically the same ones who qualify for state assistance. However getting that right now is next to impossible. With a million people filing for unemployment, or they say 25% of our workforce. And that doesn’t include all the self employed and cash workers who don’t qualify. I saw a report that said federal unemployment is 10%. Maybe so, but we are at 10% when the economy is good. I bet we are 70% right now.


Well, I hate to say it, but we're definitely in a deep recession, maybe even worse than the Great Recession.  :(

Well, I hate to say it, but we're definitely in a deep recession, maybe even worse than the Great Recession.  :(


Inflation will go through the roof too. Some farmers have been destroying food and dumping milk because there is no way for the food chain to get it to where it needs to go.

Inflation will go through the roof too. Some farmers have been destroying food and dumping milk because there is no way for the food chain to get it to where it needs to go.


With restaurants and schools closed, it's no wonder why commodities like milk and food are getting wasted. It's really sad what farmers and other essential workers are going through. I wish them all the best.

Inflation will go through the roof too. Some farmers have been destroying food and dumping milk because there is no way for the food chain to get it to where it needs to go.


I think deflation is a more serious concern at the moment. Consumer spending is down and the oil price crashed. People are going to be saving more until the economy is back to normal.

Well, I hate to say it, but we're definitely in a deep recession, maybe even worse than the Great Recession.  :(
I've noticed they don't even use the term "Great Recession" anymore. It's the "2008 Recession" now, and this one the "Corona Recession" which isn't exactly a great sign :(.

I've noticed they don't even use the term "Great Recession" anymore. It's the "2008 Recession" now, and this one the "Corona Recession" which isn't exactly a great sign :(.


They may be calling it Great Depression II soon.

Inflation will go through the roof too. Some farmers have been destroying food and dumping milk because there is no way for the food chain to get it to where it needs to go.
Over the last few months in the UK the inflation rate has gone down, especially with the Eat Out to Help Out restaurant scheme.