In Episode 105 [14] of the CounterVortex podcast [15], Bill Weinberg rants against the ubiquitous propaganda that normalizes the oppressive and dystopian pre-pandemic normality. Amid the relentless COVID-19 denialism [16], even mainstream voices [17] are calling for a return to "normalcy" (sic)—which is not even a word [18]. The opportunity for a crash conversion from fossil fuels that was posed by 2020's pandemic-induced economic paralysis, when already depressed oil prices actually went negative, is now being squandered [19]. President Biden just released oil from the Strategic Reserves [20] to control soaring prices [19]. Simultaneously, the administration is moving ahead with the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale [21] in US history. While during the 2020 lockdown. the usually smog-obscured Himalayas became visible [22] from northern India for first time in decades, Delhi is now choked with emergency levels of toxic smog [23]. While during the 2020 lockdown, the total US death rate actually dropped [22] because people were staying off the roads [24], US traffic deaths are now soaring [25]. New York's new Mayor Eric Adams wants to stake the city's economic future [26] to the cryptocurrency industry [34], even as China is cracking down on Bitcoin "mining" (sic) because of its "extremely harmful [27]" carbon footprint. And even amid all the empty hand-wringing about climate change [28], airlines are flying thousands of empty "ghost flights [29]" in order to keep their slots at congested airports. The much-vaunted "return to normalcy" must be urgently resisted. As Bruce Cockburn observed long ago, the trouble with normal is it always gets worse [30]. Listen on SoundCloud [14] or via Patreon [31].
Production by Chris Rywalt [35]
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