Good Question, SNL: What Still Works?
The actor-philosophers on “Saturday Night Live” asked a very pertinent question in Kate McKinnon’s “What Still Works?” sketch.
You can see the bit here. It hilariously explores whether stuff like the stock market, government, the vaccine rollout and quarterback Tom Brady still work.
We all probably have questions about how things are working, or not, during a coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted life around the world.
Let’s explore this.
Drug sales
These still seem to work. For example, if you walk down Playa del Carmen’s famous Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue), a young man at virtually every major street corner will greet you with, “Wanna get high? Want some weed? Cocaine?” So this is one area in which the supply chain has not been disrupted by a lack of skilled labor.
This is a tough one. During the holidays, it arrived. But it took the U.S. Postal Service close to three weeks to deliver a package from the Midwest to the Northeast. Given the number of workers off the job due to the pandemic and the interference from the occupant of the White House at the time, we’ll say it worked.
Climate change
This is still going on. Last year (2020) tied for the hottest on record. There was weird weather all over, including a derecho Aug. 10, 2020 that flattened grain bins and much of Iowa’s corn crop. Some consider the Western wildfires and the continued loss of ice in the Arctic more evidence that climate change continues largely unabated.
Distracted drivers
It’s possible the pandemic has made us worse at driving. There is an epidemic of lane-weaving by people reading or talking on their smartphones when they are supposed to be watching the road. This has increased road rage.
Vacations
Travel isn’t working as well. Some of us snuck in a trip to Mexico while the pandemic raged before Thanksgiving, but now the United States government is making it far harder to get back in the country. The risk of having to quarantine in Mexico or other vacation spots (I know, tough luck, right, but some of us have to get back to work) is higher. For some of us, that means we’ve had to skip getaways or weddings, and many funerals were postponed or never scheduled.
Flights for fun will have to wait until later this year for many. Dang it.
The cruise ship industry still hopes for life after COVID, but it’s going to be a tough sail. A good share of the 400 ships are docked, and the ones that aren’t have a lot of restrictions.
Technology
Overall, the pandemic has been a win for technology. We tire of Zoom, but it’s a godsend for saving commuting time and costs, visiting with relatives, and driving the point home that some business meetings don’t really need to be in person while others must be. There have been glitches and hacks, but we’ll call it a win.
Another thing that is working: unlimited call plans. Nothing sends some parents to a phone faster than wondering if their stay-at-home adult children are managing in this wild world.
SNL had it right. A lot of things aren’t working. Running around without masks. Ignoring the pandemic of our times. Rooting for the Minnesota Vikings.
But other things are working, beyond Tom Brady. The economy. The new vaccines, when we can find them. And hope.
