HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPEVINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
While watching the coverage of tennis’ US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York City last week, I’d view with envy the full capacity crowds at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. They were enjoying the matches in typical boisterous Noo Yawk fashion, all without wearing face masks or shields, and I’d get depressed – because, sure, it’s halfway around the world, but it’s this same world, and yet, it’s zillions of worlds away from the reality we continue to endure here in the Philippines.
Let’s be fair, COVID has not been flushed out of the USA’s reality; the variants are still a serious matter in pockets of America. And yes, the USA is geographically vast, and we refer to it as a first world nation. But somehow, in New York, over the two weeks of the Open, the tennis wasn’t just about the competition; but it was just as importantly, about transpiring as a physical, spectator sport. Food and drinks were being served and brought back to their seats. The night sessions were rowdy, rambunctious affairs. People were packed in the stadiums, and it was evident, everyone was having a great time.
I’d watch the matches, wake up bleary-eyed, and don my face mask and shield, head to the office conscious of social distancing, avoiding crowds or groups of people, and get fearful reading about the ever-rising daily COVID new cases count. If you wanted to define what escapism meant to me last week, it would have been those hours when I’d be watching the tennis on my own, in my bedroom – wondering why we’re still mired in this predicament of two steps forward, three steps back with our COVID response.
What was New York doing to make “normalcy” a carefully tended reality? We can talk vaccinations and herd immunity, we can speak of effective contact tracing; but it would seem they’ve gone beyond that. And here we are with our laborious vaccination rate, still depending on hand-outs. After one year and a half, do we even have a comprehensive and reliable contact tracing system in place, or are we just playing lip service to that notion?
Have we been rational in allowing the food and restaurant industry to pick up the pieces of its existence? We’re a consumer-driven economy, so what happens when we’ve kept the consumers in a veritable straitjacket? Retail ends up dying. I see institutions like Automatic Centre announcing their closure after more than 70 years of service as one of our leading retail appliance network of stores. I see global fashion brands closing shop here. I even wonder about the demand for office and commercial spaces when remote work seems to be a permanent fixture of our hybrid workforce of the immediate future.
Of course, every business will have its pivot scenario or go on survival mode – but it’s obvious that for so many companies, survival mode can only be the game plan for so long. There will be a breaking point if you haven’t discovered that sweet spot of going online. FinTech is the new wave of businesses that will survive, even prosper. But even here, for every FinTech that’s doing great, there are a dozen FinTech start-ups that are struggling, and may not last the end of the year.
At this point, I don’t even want to point fingers or play the blame game. But I can’t escape the fact that while so many businesses and MSME’s are going under, so many people have had their incomes and earning capacities compromised and threatened, so many have uncertain futures; there are people up there who are brazenly enriching themselves during this pandemic, taking advantage of the situation without compunction, and only looking out for themselves even when they’ve been entrusted with public duties and responsibilities.
I’m reminded of things I’ve observed in my lifetime about the “King's horses and King’s men.” One scenario says you’ll find that when small-minded people are given a little power, they strut and fret like they were the kings, acting more “Don’ than the real ‘Don’s” who own the company and hold the power. I’ve seen this so many times in the corporate world, how minions puff their chests like peacocks, and act with complete disregard for decent workplace ethics or behavior. The irony often being that they don’t know I know their bosses, whose name they drop, or I’m certain would not act in this manner themselves.
And then there’s scenario number two – this is when the man on top is himself a practitioner of “bully ball” tactics. Anyone who’s done playground basketball will know the type, double-dribbles but doesn’t care, will push off too hard before receiving the ball and think that’s fine, and lastly, will sulk if you don’t pass him the ball often enough. When the boss is himself like that, his followers and disciples will “ape” his demeanor, become pathetic caricatures of their “little God.”
The real quandary ensues when there is no real substantive leadership, as that man on top is already at a loss on what action to take, vacillates between the contradicting “payo” of his advisers, but hates to be perceived as weak or having run out of ideas. Clueless as to what the real game plan is, the sorry fact is that so many of the followers then fall back on self-preservation and aggrandizement before the sand in the top half of the hourglass runs out – not caring how many heads they step on to reach that exit door, or to get their hands on a “golden parachute.”
If Dante’s Circles of Hell are a reality, I just pray there are spaces reserved for these people. History has taught us that in this lifetime; more often than not, they’ll get away with it. Filipinos are so forgiving. In fact, we’re beyond forgiving, as we’re so forgetful as well.