Thumbs Up

[Note: This was written during the Pandemic and published years later ... I need an editor.]

It's been a time.  A long time. I'd like to say it's been a Silence of Three Parts, but Rothfuss be damned if we get the Third Silence.  Apparently, he pole vaulted the public consciousness into the realms of knowing.  The pentaverate has bestowed upon him knowledge of futures past and, using this wisdom, chose to wither rather than write.  So be it.  Kvothe has failed us and VVhynot?

But I digress, giving way to the topic at hand.  A pandemic of epic, 100 year proportions has levied its tax on humanity.  We first became hermits, eking out life as cave dwellers separated from life normal.  We transitioned to masked foragers on occasion only to face similarly troubled masked bandits in search of life's necessities.  Pupating, we moved through lockdowns and forced closures to emerge mask free with life seemingly back on track. We have wings. 

Through it all, the movement of VVhatever took hold in the simplest of ways: Necessity.  But underlying such Necessity was always the movement of VVhynot.  Why not wear a mask to stop the exponential curve of infection and promise orderly use of medical resources?  Why not get vaccinated?  Why not do whatever it takes to get what we want at the expense of everybody else? Why not accept what I think despite my lack of scientific support? The movement of VVhynot reigned supreme by any account. 

And so, for some, it became customary to transition all communications to the warm embrace of the movement of VVhatever (i.e., the Internet).  It was solace.  It was community.  It was calm.  Three things missing from the movement of VVhynot.  Because their was no collective agreement in reality, but who can question the movement of VVhynot?  Not me. 

With this transition came Internet tools, crawling out of the VVhatever primordial ooze to assuage our lack of contact and loneliness.  Zoom, which first grabbed our attention; then Teams, which Microsoft rushed to fill the gaps of remote corporate life.  With these tools, we rebuilt corporate structure to facilitate so-called "corporate values." 

Estranged co-workers participated in forced "Happy Hours," where we could observe one another (contact free no less) without actually engaging in real dialogue due to the nature of "online all-hands events."  These "events" were full of VVhatevers to our hearts' content.  It nonetheless lacked a certain charm.  

There was the fact that only a single individual could talk unobstructed via these tools and when such individuals talked we all had to listen.  Beholden to the constraints of the movement of VVhatever, we listened, chastised for interrupting or for the errant unmuted microphone.  We listened eagerly at first but, once chastised, pushed further back into our digital caves; we regressed.

Now, at home is no different than at work.  Home simply equals work.  We chat and try to find value in sport of community.  But no amount of chat makes "corporate values" appear out of the ether.  Instead, the movement of VVhatever continually undermines our attempt to connect.   

Take for example, the thumbs up emoji.  I've been told this emblem supports the movement of VVhynot.  It shuts down further conversation and removes any response.  It makes sense when you think about it because it channels agreement and compliance.  What more can you say to a thumbs up emoji, then VVhynot?  Thumbs up is obviously the way to say VVhynot.