It’s a Mad World

You might say that I’m an Anglophile.

According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary an Anglophile is: a person who greatly admires or favors England and things English.

Over the years I have enjoyed studying English history and culture. I have also found myself drawn to English movies and television (Monty Python, Benny Hill, Top Gear, The Grand Tour; anyone want to watch Time Bandits with me?).

I was in college in the 80’s when New Wave music was big. At the time “New Wave” referred to the second wave of the British music invasion. The first invasion being The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, etc. To this day I still gravitate towards New Wave stations on many of the music streaming platforms. Much to the chagrin of my family.

I’m also smitten by their vocabulary – their frequent use of the words “clever” and “rubbish” for example. I find endearing. And, as I’m a “car guy” I find the words they use to describe car parts also very interesting, for example, boot (trunk), bonnet (hood), wing (fender), all “veddy” British.

Let’s return to the music topic for a moment. In 1982 the British band Tears for Fears released a song called “Mad World”. In this case, “Mad” didn’t mean angry, but it was (and is) the English term for crazy or insane.

Is it safe to say we are living in a mad world?

Looking back at the election, the pandemic, natural disasters, conspiracy theories – 2020 has truly been a mad year.

But, how do you know if you’re mad? In my opinion, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• If you think wearing a mask and social distancing is a bad idea – you’re mad.
• If you don’t want to get a vaccine shot – you’re mad.
• If you think the extraordinary number of hurricanes this year have nothing to do with global warming – you’re mad.
• Finally, if you think COVID-19 is being spread by tech companies through 5G – you are really mad.

The one bright spot this year has been the speed in which the world’s pharmaceutical companies have developed, tested, and started manufacturing vaccines to (hopefully) bring an end to this pandemic. It’s a monumental achievement – and my hat is off to those in the industry. A brilliant job!

Finally, with the prospect of vaccinations getting underway this year and really ramping up in 2021 I’m happy to say I’m “chuffed” for what next year will bring.