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The Year Without Comfort Or Joy
5 years ago
General
I haven't been around much this year, but really who has? 2020 began the same way 1920 did, with rampant infection, economic disaster, social upheaval, and illegal bars. There was no global war, but if you are reading this as one of my stateside friends, you've managed to survive the deadliest year in US history.
On top of it all, our country is dealing with its first attempted coup.
Personally life has been hell. In February my central air unit burned itself up. After multiple insurance agencies I've been paying to cover it decided not to help me, I turned in desperation to refinancing my home, which the Bank has...Well, they started the process and then they went cold. I haven't heard from them in many months. Not since my agent paid out of her own pocket to get my house appraised. That was last summer. All year I've been without air conditioning, without heat. I've been stressed. I'm probably going to switch banks. Considering getting a second or third job next year just to deal with it.
I've somehow managed to avoid getting sick so far. It makes me kind of angry because I don't want to be here any more. Instead, I'm forced to sit and watch as other people are let down by a system that was never set up to help them in the first place. I'd trade my life for any one of theirs in an instant. I've lost some people that I know, but nobody that I have been personally super close with? Lucky right? pfeh.
One silver lining; such as it even qualifies: I've attended more conventions this year than I ever have in my life. It began with DHFC, which I am given to understand wasn't the first virtual furry con, but was quick to establish a baseline for how it should be done. Next was FWA, followed by Mephit Fur Meet, both excellent online offerings. Then went to Furry Takeover, Furpocalypse (which still owes me swag), and MFF. And to think that the year began with missing out on Blue Ridge Furfaire because the con accidentally overbooked the venue. In 21 they'll be virtual because the government can't be assed to distribute the vaccine with any urgency. I plan to attend. These and Bill & Ted Face The Music improbably beating Wonder Woman and Ghostbusters to even releasing this year have been the only good events of note...though in 21 I'm expecting a cultural renaissance in the music industry as everyone releases what they wrote during lockdown. Oh, and it seems The Mandalorian might have actually saved Star-Wars, which I totally didn't see coming. And I guess Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal releasing at exactly the right time in all of this was kind of cool.
One more thing I suppose...After this year I've finally made up my mind concerning my future, and will be taking steps toward those ends. I've cut off social media and will be evicting my roommate this year. Going to start taking care of things, and in the meanwhile, trying to take better care of things.
None of this is going to turn around immediately in 2021. In fact, many of the same problems that plagued this year will carry over and perhaps compound in the beginning months of the year. But one has to admit, on a year-to-year basis, there has never before been such an opportunity for the following year to be such an improvement over what came before. We have a vaccine now. People are going to spread that mutant strain because people are stupid, but the doctors are saying that the vaccine should still work. Assuming Biden can surmount the coup the Republicans are attempting and somehow cobble the government together enough to do more than object to everything, we might even be able to attend actual cons by this summer. To see our friends again.
But my mind is made up now, and that's one thing that's not going to change.
On top of it all, our country is dealing with its first attempted coup.
Personally life has been hell. In February my central air unit burned itself up. After multiple insurance agencies I've been paying to cover it decided not to help me, I turned in desperation to refinancing my home, which the Bank has...Well, they started the process and then they went cold. I haven't heard from them in many months. Not since my agent paid out of her own pocket to get my house appraised. That was last summer. All year I've been without air conditioning, without heat. I've been stressed. I'm probably going to switch banks. Considering getting a second or third job next year just to deal with it.
I've somehow managed to avoid getting sick so far. It makes me kind of angry because I don't want to be here any more. Instead, I'm forced to sit and watch as other people are let down by a system that was never set up to help them in the first place. I'd trade my life for any one of theirs in an instant. I've lost some people that I know, but nobody that I have been personally super close with? Lucky right? pfeh.
One silver lining; such as it even qualifies: I've attended more conventions this year than I ever have in my life. It began with DHFC, which I am given to understand wasn't the first virtual furry con, but was quick to establish a baseline for how it should be done. Next was FWA, followed by Mephit Fur Meet, both excellent online offerings. Then went to Furry Takeover, Furpocalypse (which still owes me swag), and MFF. And to think that the year began with missing out on Blue Ridge Furfaire because the con accidentally overbooked the venue. In 21 they'll be virtual because the government can't be assed to distribute the vaccine with any urgency. I plan to attend. These and Bill & Ted Face The Music improbably beating Wonder Woman and Ghostbusters to even releasing this year have been the only good events of note...though in 21 I'm expecting a cultural renaissance in the music industry as everyone releases what they wrote during lockdown. Oh, and it seems The Mandalorian might have actually saved Star-Wars, which I totally didn't see coming. And I guess Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal releasing at exactly the right time in all of this was kind of cool.
One more thing I suppose...After this year I've finally made up my mind concerning my future, and will be taking steps toward those ends. I've cut off social media and will be evicting my roommate this year. Going to start taking care of things, and in the meanwhile, trying to take better care of things.
None of this is going to turn around immediately in 2021. In fact, many of the same problems that plagued this year will carry over and perhaps compound in the beginning months of the year. But one has to admit, on a year-to-year basis, there has never before been such an opportunity for the following year to be such an improvement over what came before. We have a vaccine now. People are going to spread that mutant strain because people are stupid, but the doctors are saying that the vaccine should still work. Assuming Biden can surmount the coup the Republicans are attempting and somehow cobble the government together enough to do more than object to everything, we might even be able to attend actual cons by this summer. To see our friends again.
But my mind is made up now, and that's one thing that's not going to change.
In 2000, Al Gore challenged the election, even bringing up to the US Supreme Court, and lost. Trump's challenge to the 2020 results was equally legitimate. As for Biden, if you don't think he's senile and incapable of governing at all, you need to get out more. I don't think this will be a better year.
I don't think the 1876 election counts as a coup, but it's definitely a lot greyer an area. The 2000 election was contested by both sides, not just Al Gore-Thanks to numerous botched votes there was no clear winner. This isn't true with Trump's 2020 loss. There are much better paper trails and documentation within the entire process than there was back in 2000. Trump's legal team have examined these processes over and over again in multiple states and nothing was found. The election has been legally handled up until this point- legally held, legally examined, legally confirmed, and legally certified. So current Republican attempts to overturn the election by going outside the law-having electors cast uncertified votes, appealing the supreme court to bar electors from certain states, trying to get the Vice President to ignore electors- count as a coup attempt. The last legal avenue available to the Republicans to question the election is to call a debate over the electors between the house and senate and force a vote. It's not likely to go anywhere due to the political fallout it would cause, not having the votes for it notwithstanding.
I'm cautiously optimistic about Biden. I don't think he has the staying power for four years. I think he'll help set us on a better path towards getting out of our current mess and addressing some of the issues it's caused. I don't think for a moment though that he'll be able to enact any real legislation, heal the rift between the two Americas, or keep terribly far ahead of the actual fallout from Covid's affect on the country. Trump's self-serving style of leadership was good when nothing else was going on, but it's clearly failed us during national disaster. I don't expect Biden to do any worse, if not any better.
Optimistic about Biden? He's completely hopeless. The stories of his senility are not rumors, they are fact. Ten years ago, he might have actually been capable, but he is hopelessly unable to govern. Believe me, I have seen senile people so I know. Harris will be the real President-and she didn't even get far in the primary. I do not predict we will have a good future.
RE: the impeachment, I feel like one of us is confused. The Russian Collusion episode was a separate investigation that was only tangentially related to the impeachment hearing, if I remember right. The meat-and-potatoes of the impeachment was Trump's quid-pro-quo with Ukraine, trying to make the allied nation manufacture dirt on his political rival while said ally was under attack by Russia and waiting for US aid. Am I wrong in this? I know that both the Collusion investigation and the Impeachment itself ultimately acquitted Trump of any wrongdoing.
I'm cautiously optimistic, yes. I recognize that most of Biden's work will be heavily aided by his support team, but leading the country was never about just one person. The president sets policy, Congress sets that policy to law, the Senate approves it, and the Judiciary interprets it in action. I don't anticipate Biden's administration will get much done, other than perhaps a tonal shift in foreign policy. Whoever comes after Biden will probably be more significant in terms of domestic policy. Biden may be senile, but the real danger during his tenure comes from the House and the Senate-the actions of congressional Republicans in particular are doing me a great concern, and McConnell appears to be losing his control over his own people in the Senate. We don't have a functional government.
Ten years ago, Biden might have been able to hold the office of POTUS. He probably cannot even tie his own shoelaces now. We cannot do with an empty suit in the White House, though very likely he will be just a figurehead, and somebody else will take the helm. I still say the future is going to suck.