The credit crunch has cloaked the world in a thick fog of doom and gloom as the sun rises on an Armageddon-esque era. People live in fear of losing their jobs, and those who already have are finding themselves face to face with redundancy and clinging onto their material possessions with all their might. It has become a case of survival of the fittest as we battle it out in an attempt to hold on to our last shred of dignity.
People, however, are also discovering the art of sharing. In fact, going halvsies on everything from mortgages to groceries can give you more than just a fuzzy glow. Now is the time for coupledom, bunk beds and family meals. Tea, shared platters and buy-one-get-one-free coupons have grown in popularity, while the lone latte is finding itself left far behind.
Cutting back has meant a revisit to our green-fingered days as we turn to our local allotments as a source of food. We’ve also thrown away our branded bottles of water and replaced them with the sweetnes that comes out of taps.In the supermarket, turnips are making a comeback along with other oddly shaped vegetables. Shopping extravagances have been replaced with chocolate indulgences as chocolatiers are making a killing.
Pampered stars too are now finding they’re having to cut back on the unnecessary frills. Hugh Hefner has had to downsize his bunny empire and lay off a few playmates; the Queen of England has started to recycle her outfits by wearing them more than once, and beauty pageants are becoming a thing of the past as events are forced into cancellation. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are also feeling the burden and have had to reduce their offerings to humbler proportions.
On the upside, however, love is in the air and a baby boom appears to be on the horizon as couples are forced to spend more time at home.
All’s not terrible. In certain ways we’ve become closer to each other, to nature and to ourselves. Who knows, when this whole thing will be over, we might come out better people.
Image courtesy of BinaryApe
