Friday, April 17, 2009

what is your new normal?


I was listening to NPR the other day and caught only part of a story, as I always do, called the New Normal. It was basically about the new economy that we are living in and what was once normal say, two years ago isn't so normal now. Robert Siegel posed the question, what is going to be the new normal once we get past this economic crisis? Here are few responses.

1. A return to quality products as opposed to throw away items. You get what you pay for. Quality is expensive but cheap costs even more.

2.
What was traditionally the golden age of retirement for people 10-20 years ago is going to change. As will the pensions, the medical coverage paid for by the company and social security.

3. When there is a sense that everything needs to count economically there may be pressure for undergraduates to shift from traditional liberal arts degrees to focus on a more practical degree like business or computer programming.


4. Technology will continue to get smaller and smaller.

All these concepts got me thinking. So I jotted down a few ideas. Then decided I couldn't post text only. I would need some eye candy. But what exactly does normal look like? In my mind, it's not exactly eye candy. Am I right? As I was searching for something that felt normal I stumbled upon Marc Johns and his incredibly funny and ironic drawings of normal things on post-it notes.

Feel free to chime in on your ideas of the New Norm or just laugh out loud at some visuals of what the new normal could become. At least it will take away from the serious nature of the subject. After all, laughter is the best medicine.


1. You've heard the mantra reduce, reuse, recycle. Soon enough, and I'm hoping on this one, everyone will question the things they purchase. How was it made? Where did it come from? What is it made of?

2. Always be connected. The new ABC's. You've all seen the add. The kid who sits at the dinner table texting through the entire meal. Soon enough that kid is going to grow up and guess what, he's not going to one day decide he no longer wants to be connected.


3. Bigger is not necessarily better. Cars, homes, TVs. Stuff. More is not always more.

4. Get back to our roots. You've probably heard the term, slow food movement. Farmers markets are popping up everywhere. Eating seasonally sounds better and better and is less expensive. Maybe you'll take a class to learn a craft. Whether it be cooking, gardening, sewing, woodworking or the many plethora of others, what 'trade' is it that's you will pass down?



Any other ideas of what this New Norm might be for you?

images: all images are from Marc Johns

1 comment:

  1. one of my ideas for new normal is more library use by many of us..and hopefully more happening of interest there..ie--poetry readings,book club meetings,story telling,art making.etc..... and now that Border's is apparently defunct when it's time to buy a book and not just read it and return to the li-berry, hit the locally grown book stores...

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