TALKE TALKS: In and Out

Howdy from Texas, dear readers,

Was a Stanley mug, mini Ugg boots or a Dyson hair styler set on your Christmas wish list? Then you are definitely a (spoiled) teenage girl. Have you written a New Year’s list of goals and desires that you believe will come true if you “manifest” them? Then you must be a Delulu Millennial. But maybe you also ran a (half) marathon on New Year’s Eve and posted several photos of it on Facebook, like a fit Gen-Xer? Or you don’t understand what I’m rambling about here, then the situation is clear: you’re a boomer. Maybe you are so old that I just had to google your generational name (Traditionalist!), in which case I would like to warmly congratulate you. Please drop your “Longevity” routine for all the wellness freaks!

No matter what generation we belong to, unfortunately we all have to face the reality: the festivities are over and with it comes the most boring period of the year – the months of January and February. Some friends are having a “dry January” and are constantly talking about how easy it is for them to give up alcohol, others are exercising more and are constantly talking about how incredibly strenuous their training program is. There are no holidays to look forward to, except for damned Valentine’s Day, which only brings overpriced and half-wilted flowers and overpriced and undercooked menus (I’d prefer Carnival, but I’d have to immigrate to another country for that). In schools, universities and offices, the pressure to perform is unnecessarily increased, as if anyone would be motivated to work even harder in this disgusting weather!

We now have a time window in which we should think about the new year. Thoughts that could help improve it collectively. 2020 and 2021 were – we will all probably still complain about this in the retirement home – difficult pandemic years; 2022 was marked by the Ukraine war, 2023 by the Middle East conflict. I’m already dreading what unpleasant event will be chosen as the focus of the new year: Kanye making a comeback in the Ku Klux Klan outfit? Trump is making America “great again”? Chat GPT takes over the world and publishes all of our embarrassing StudiVZ contributions as its first official act?

I have a suggestion for how we can create a better 2024 together: We simply decide now what is in and what is out in 2024. Out are wars, fanaticism, chauvinism and the word “climate terrorism”. The gap between rich and poor should go to hell. Speaking of rich: Out with the old money aesthetic. Totally out with all the influencers who constantly talk about some aesthetic. Out with people who don’t signal or play around on their cell phones in the car for ages before they drive off and finally clear the parking space for you; out with those who bring disgusting food to your dinner party without asking. Get rid of people who allow their children to act like mangy monkeys in your house. Also out with people who forget that they owe you a large sum of money, but God forbid, if they advance you $1.50 for a tea, then they have to put out a Venmo or Wise request that same afternoon! So somehow people are generally out.

In contrast, there are beautiful jewelry, cute animals, impressive works of art, monuments and natural spectacles, decadent food, champagne, self-driving cars, feminist films, brilliantly written books and groundbreaking medical discoveries. In is the total solar eclipse, which will be particularly easy to see in Texas this April. There are manifestation rituals for all of the above. Half marathons to stay fit. Oh, why not also Dyson hair machines, mini Uggs and Stanley Cups!

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