The New Normal People

Normal people

(nôr′məl pē′pəl)

What does it mean

Anymore

Not what is used to mean

They called it mainstream

We all understood

We were different but similar

Unique but united

All for one and one for all

Stars and stripes

And heed the call

But today

Nothing’s normal

Words don’t mean

What they used to mean

Hijacked

Repurposed

Symbols too

And the masses

They bow down to the few

Double speak, triple speak

Careful what you even think

But I digress

Off on a tangent

Like some kind of radical

Normal people

Normies of today

They’re good followers

Good consumers

Buy the ‘right’ things

And identify

Now goods and ideologies

Have become the same

I’m not buying anything

I’m buying everything

Hook, line, and sinker

Conforming is contagious

Purchasing is obeying

Allegiance to the corporations

Everyone should follow

But if you can’t be everyone

Or choose not to be

They’ll correct you

Preach until you listen

Demand, shriek, or cancel

Until everyone is everywhere

One voice under a financial god

With commerce, cash flow

And goods for all

You’ll be told your opinions

And what is right and wrong

Even when right is wrong

Just don’t stop singing the song

Follow the crowd

Walk in lockstep to your local store

Spend, spend, and spend even more

Shining examples of public education

It’s so wonderful

Indoctrination

Teaches us to think as one

With a hint of totalitarianism

To remind us not to speak

Unless the words are approved

But again, I must deviate

Asking out loud, why

Why do so many follow

Allow the norms to change

What is there to gain

Nothing really

Just a false promise

Same as the ones given

To the cannon fodder on the front

Glory and recognition

At least for a few days

Be wary of the ruling mob

The wardens of the new normal

But the question remains

Who watches the watchers

Checks the fact checkers

Decides what best for you and me

It’s a path to misery

Happiness a foregone conclusion

Unrelentless in this current version

Maybe there’s a shot or pill

Fix my sadness, fix my will

Instant gratification

Another route to consuming more

Keep the money flowing

The corporations pay the politicians

Who make laws to protect

Not, we the people

But the corporations

Lost in the great translation

We call bureaucracy

Everyone owns everyone

Sheep against sheep

Instead of the shepherd

It’s normal to give up what you had

For someone undeserving

Complaining is what keeps them going

Everyone at the same time

As long as I’m ahead of you

Is this the new normal

Are we normal people

What is normal

Hello

Is anyone still listening

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R J Schwartz

I write about everything and sometimes nothing at all.I'm fascinated by old things, rusty things, abandoned places, or anywhere that a secret might be unearthed.I'm passionate about history and many of my pieces are anchored in one concept of time or another.I've always been a writer, dating back to my youth, but the last decade has been a time of growth for me.I'm continually pushing the limitations of vocabulary, syntax, and descriptive phrasing.

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