Language of 'new normal' being deployed to quell uncertainty

A new normal is a state to which an economy, society, settles following a crisis, when this differs from the situation that prevailed prior to the start of the crisis. The term has been used in relation to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the aftermath of the 2008–2012 global recession, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

2021 has also brought something new to the pandemic. The first was the news that the vaccines to protect against Covid-19 – quite a number from different countries – are being distributed. The second was that new variants or mutations of the virus have appeared in the UK and in South Africa, and perhaps in other places as well. Mutations are the reason why different versions of the common flu require different vaccines and now, with news that the AZ vaccine being distributed in South African has failed to protect people against infection, the new virus is behaving much like the seasonal flu.

While the west, now find itself in a hole that they have dug in pursuit of the 'good life' which they thought it would never end. Then in 2020 it did and some learnt a few lessons. A tough life for lower and middle class and that will be the new normal for some time to come. The goal is to simply survive. 2021 may not turn out to be an improvement on 2020.

An Oxfam's latest report, The Inequality Virus, however, highlights how the corona virus crisis has exacerbated inequality and deepened poverty around the world.

It found the pandemic had ushered in the worst job crisis in more than 90 years, with hundreds of millions of people now underemployed or out of work.

The world's 10 richest men have seen their combined wealth increase by half a trillion dollars since the pandemic began — more than enough to pay for a Covid-19 vaccine for everyone and to ensure no one is pushed into poverty by the pandemic.

Worldwide, billionaires' wealth increased by $US3.9 trillion ($5.04 trillion) between March 18 and December 31.

The language of a 'new normal' is being deployed to quell any uncertainty ushered in by the corona virus. With no cure in sight, politicians, media, friends and family have perpetuated this rhetoric as they imagine settling into life under this 'new normal'.

Allowing ourselves to cope means not normalising our situation and quickly moving forward, but giving ourselves the time to truly process it. Psychologists advise that it's important to identify the losses we are feeling and to honour the grief surrounding us through methods like meditation, communicating our struggle, and expressing ourselves through art. The 'new normal' frame reinforces an understanding that the world and our emotions should by now have settled.