The ‘New Normal’

I’ve been banging on about doing a cartoon about this for ages. Like the ‘R’ rate, it’s another example of our new terminology that I just can’t stand. 

Although it’s been on my mind for a good few weeks now, I didn’t feel the full urge to draw it out until this week. This is because I finally worked out why it grates on me so much. Like most of us, I’ve heard many people talking about this ‘new normal’ and how we have to adapt to this new way of life. Thing is, I fear that the ‘new normal’ is entirely embedded within a concept of denial. 

I’m not going to go into too much detail about my interpretation of the situation – I wrote about my battle with denial a couple of months ago and I can see why there is a strong wish to return to normality. I also know that I’m still one of the lucky ones in all of this and, though I’m not currently experiencing hardship, I really do feel for those who are. So, instead of dwelling on my pessimism, I’m going to share the story behind the cartoon and hope it’ll make viewers smile!

Some of the ideas came from me and some came from people I know. For example, I asked my partner and my family about what they thought was particularly iconic about this ‘new normal’. This was the underlying theme – if you were asked about this period in the future, aside from the obvious, what would stand out for you?

My partner’s contribution was an unexpected positive from lockdown: buying beer from local breweries directly and getting free delivery. I’ve also benefited from this, but with my cider consumption instead. Shout out to Hook Norton Brewery and Napton Cidery!

Another image was a suggestion from my sister. She now has to wear a mask at work and said she only realised when trying to drink a coffee the other day that this is now quite a complicated act. I continue to work from home so I hadn’t even thought about this. Another image has made my family laugh a lot over the last few months – scheduling my pre-planned treats. I’m still not very good at this!

The other three images came from me. Ever since the government announced that single people could form bubbles with other households, I’ve just pictured people mindlessly blowing bubbles, working out who to choose. I mean, what if two households blow a bubble together and then they don’t get on??? What a waste of a bubble, right?!

Regarding number 1, I should say that I’m not really as angry as the character doing the ‘zigzag’ walk. In fact, whenever I complain about crossing a road because another pedestrian is approaching me, I try to check myself – they have as much of a right to be out as I do! I’ve probably given a couple of pedestrians a laugh at times too. When approaching sharp corners, I’ve tended to slowly edge my way around to check whether anyone’s approaching. There have been a couple of occasions where someone has been right there at the moment I’ve done this and I’ve jumped out of my skin – how ridiculous!

And finally… Probably the one I’ve still not got used to entirely… Speaking into the laptop. I’ve become more comfortable communicating remotely with colleagues but there’s still a lingering urge when I present to larger groups to say something outrageous in order to see what would happen. Luckily, I still seem to just about have this under control. For now.

This concludes the ‘new normal’. I imagine there are many other things that stand out to people about this period. Inevitably, I know many will have less light-hearted ideas about what this has meant for them, including illness, bereavement and sorrow. So the storyboard was certainly completed with a pinch of salt in mind.