First came Brexit. Then Prince died of an overdose. Then Donald Trump won the presidency.
For liberals on social media, it was obvious what was happening: The year 2016 was hexed.
“Thanks 2016,” one liberal user after another scrawled as psychologically traumatic world events unfolded. The phrase became so common that Spotify, ever keen to piggyback on a cultural trend, coopted it in its year-end ad blitz: “Thanks 2016, it’s been weird.”
I remember teasing my suddenly superstitious liberal friends for embracing the hocus-pocus. But I must now admit that my smug grin has straightened. Our culture has indeed become so strange that it feels plausible to suggest that we took the wrong exit in 2016 and that we’ve been winding through backroads in search of the highway ever since. Men are now women and vice versa, Ivy Leaguers believe that “there is only one solution: intifada revolution,” and the tabloid king of the ’80s is about to be elected to his second, non-consecutive term in the Oval Office.
All this came to mind as I sifted through the previous week’s headlines. Evidence that we are living in an alternate reality seems to be piling up of late.
To wit: “Biden’s Uncle (Probably) Wasn’t Eaten By Cannibals,” Margaret Hartman of New York Magazine wrote. President Joe Biden’s stunning claim during a rally last month in Pennsylvania about the death of his uncle during World War II caused the nation to cock its collective head to the side and say, “Huh?”
In addition to being odd, the comment sparked uproar in Papua New Guinea and threatened to harm U.S. relations with the Pacific nation.
“My country does not deserve to be labeled as such,” Prime Minister James Marape said.
Hartman throws cold water on the possibility that Biden’s uncle was, in fact, eaten by Papua New Guineans by citing Pentagon documents that suggest otherwise. But she warns us against reflexively dismissing Biden’s tales. After all, despite the president’s storied legacy of fibbing and plagiarizing, it turns out Corn Pop may have really existed.
And then there’s this: “Kristi Noem ‘had a shot’ at Trump VP slot before dog-killing boast, sources say,” Martin Pengelly of the Guardian wrote. Among the many headlines pertaining to Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R-SD) disturbing account of executing her dog Cricket, this one captures the story in full. Consider how much aberrant information is packed into the header: a popular U.S. governor ruined her chances in the veepstakes because she decided to recount in her forthcoming book the time she killed her puppy — because, apparently, that kind of thing might be popular in the modern-day GOP? Noem has defended herself on the doggie-slaying by suggesting that it evinced her ability to make the hard decisions necessary to govern South Dakotans.
Be honest: Is it even possible to explain this story without taking into account the alternate reality hypothesis?
On a better note: “Russell Brand describes ‘incredible experience’ in reflecting on his baptism” wrote the Washington Examiner’s own Asher Notheis.
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In terms of sheer improbability from a 2016 vantage, this headline probably ranks highest. The British comedian, movie star, and podcaster, who found fame and fortune by brandishing a playboy persona, took the plunge, literally, last month because he desired “a more personal relationship with God.” Brand said Christianity had become more important as he became more familiar with suffering and purpose — an idea to which any believing Christian can relate. But it is downright shocking to witness these words emanating from a figure such as Brand. It is proof positive that whichever universe into which we stumble can be redeemed. I wish Brand nothing but the fullness of life in his rebirth.
As for the rest of us, I hope we can find enough plutonium to gas up the Delorean and steer it back to reality. I don’t know about you, but I could do with a good dose of boring and normal right about now.
Peter Laffin is a contributor at the Washington Examiner. His work has also appeared in RealClearPolitics, the Catholic Thing, and the National Catholic Register.