Harry Potter, a beloved series that has captured the hearts of millions, remains a cherished part of the literary world. J.K. Rowling, the author behind the magic, has shaped a generation’s childhood with her captivating storytelling and imaginative world-building. However, over the years, Rowling has faced significant backlash for her controversial statements and viewpoints, leaving many fans conflicted. In this post, we’ll explore the complex relationship of loving an artistic creation while simultaneously disliking or disagreeing with its creator.
The Magical World of Harry Potter
Before delving into the disapproval of J.K. Rowling’s personal beliefs, it’s essential to acknowledge the extraordinary gift she has given us through the Harry Potter series. For millions, these books are more than just stories; they’re a world to escape to, characters to adore, and lessons to learn. The magic of Rowling’s writing transcends age, gender, and nationality, making it a global phenomenon. It has inspired not only books, but also movies, merchandise, theme parks, and an entire subculture dedicated to celebrating the Wizarding World.
However, even amidst the enchantment of the Wizarding World, it’s hard to ignore the controversy stirred by J.K. Rowling. In recent years, she has expressed controversial opinions (that I won’t dignify by linking to) on social media that have been widely criticized. Most notably, her stance on transgender issues and her comments on gender identity have ignited outrage and debate. Her views have been seen as harmful and transphobic by many, leading to a backlash among fans, fellow authors, and stars of her film adaptations.
For those of us who value diversity, inclusivity, and acceptance, it is challenging to reconcile our love for Harry Potter with our disapproval of J.K. Rowling’s beliefs. This struggle represents a moral dilemma for fans who want to support and enjoy the world she created, yet feel uncomfortable with her personal views.
Separating the Art from the Artist
One way to approach this conflict is by separating the art from the artist. Though hard for some, try to continue to appreciate the work of art (in this case, the Harry Potter series) while disagreeing with or even condemning the artist’s personal beliefs or actions. It allows you to find joy in the Wizarding World without necessarily endorsing or supporting J.K. Rowling’s controversial statements. It may be easier to do this with an author or visual artist that is ‘out of sight’ from the work and far more difficult to separate an actor or musician who is performing their work.
Engaging in Constructive Dialogue
Another way to navigate this complex relationship is by engaging in constructive dialogue. Loving Harry Potter doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything J.K. Rowling says or does. By openly discussing the problematic aspects of her beliefs and their impact on marginalized communities, fans can contribute to a more inclusive and empathetic fandom. Engaging in respectful dialogues and advocating for change is essential to ensure that the love for the series is not marred by its creator’s opinions.
Supporting Diverse Voices
In response to the controversy, many fans have chosen to amplify the voices of transgender and non-binary individuals, promoting and consuming literature and media created by authors who represent a more inclusive and accepting worldview. This approach not only allows fans to continue enjoying magical stories but also sends a strong message that the values of the Wizarding World should align with the principles of diversity and acceptance.
On Supporting Her
People say: “I’m not buying this game,” or “I’m not going to Universal Studios” because they don’t want to support her. Let’s be real: J.K. Rowling already got the money. She constantly gets money. She is the owner of one of the most popular IPs in the world. Any time one of the Harry Potter films gets aired on TV? She gets a royalty check. Any time someone buys a ticket to get access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios? Royalty check. When someone else wants to use her IP to make a standalone production, like the Cursed Child play, or a LEGO set, or a computer game? Royalties, royalties, royalties. With or without your help, she gets the money anyway. In most cases, your boycott only hurts the company that is creating the thing that they licensed from her, like the video game developers, LEGO designers, movie studios, toy manufacturers, etc.
Conclusion
Loving something but disagreeing with its creator is a complex and personal journey. The magic of the Wizarding World is undeniable, but the controversies surrounding the author cannot be ignored. It’s essential for fans to find a way to navigate this dilemma, whether by separating the art from the artist, engaging in constructive dialogue, or supporting diverse voices in literature. In doing so, fans can continue to cherish the enchanting world of Harry Potter while upholding the values of acceptance and inclusivity that it has come to represent for so many.
Other Notable Examples
While the title and content here center around the world of Harry Potter and it’s creator, I could easily have chosen any one of these:
Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, Picasso, Lewis Carroll, Neil Gaiman, Dr. Seuss, Hunter S. Thompson, George Orwell, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Joan Crawford, Roald Dahl, William Golding, Sean Connery, Kevin Spacey, Caravaggio, Paul Gauguin, Flannery O’Connor, Patricia Highsmith, Orson Scott Card, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Miles Davis, Morrissey, James Brown, Phil Specter, P. Diddy,… The list goes on and on.
I started this post a year or two ago and left it in the Draft folder because so much has already been written about this dilemma. When I chose to wear my wizard outfit for the Info Booth this year, I wondered how I would be perceived (agreeing with her? oblivious?), which is why I hid the Hogwarts patch and wore my Pride pin prominently. Even if the visitors didn’t interact with me, I wanted them to see that you can celebrate a fantasy world you have come to love and also celebrate inclusion. Before my shift, I re-read what I had put in here to arm myself should anyone confront me. I did have a few nice conversations with like-minded individuals and one parent that was happy to talk about their child going through the same dilemma. All of those conversations greatly added to this post.
This is my 8th season volunteering at the Salem Haunted Happenings Information Booth (see past stories here). The first outfit I wore on my very first shift has evolved into my traditional, signature first outfit each year, now known as “Ambassador Witch.”
My very first shift, October 2016, and the birth of “Ambassador Witch.”
Does anyone still wear a hat?! It all started with the idea of wanting a pointed witch hat, but one that had a more stylized, ‘masculine’ feel than the commercially available ones. I definitely wanted it to be part of an “outfit” rather than a “costume,” as if it were part of an everyday uniform. I also wanted to challenge myself, as I had no pattern, and had never made a hat before. What began with just the hat expanded to a matching hatband and bowtie (plus matching pocket square on days cool enough for the corduroy sport coat), then I found striped socks and realized I could slide my pants up to my knees to look like knicker and show-off the socks. Voila! Having been worn every year for multiple shifts, the jacket and hat are starting to fade and show some sign of wear-and-tear, and none of the blacks match, but it still feels like putting on an old friend or stepping back into a service uniform after retirement.
New year, new outfit Each year, I try to add at least one new outfit to the roster, so I have options. Sometimes it is unseasonably warm, or rainy, so outfits were made out of necessity or comfort. Each time I create a new one, I try to push myself and learn a new technique or how to improve on what I have already done. I have three pointed witch hats now – the black one, a green tweed, and an orange flannel. Each one is nearly identical in shape and size, but more refined than the last. In 2021, I decided to finally make a “costume” by recreating Mickey Mouse’s Brave Little Tailor, which wound-up in the 2022 brochure!! Hundreds of thousands of people were walking around with my face in their hands. It was wild.
This year was a tough one, for many reasons you will soon hear about, and designing a new outfit was on the back burner. All of my planned sewing projects for this year were focused on the travel we had planned for the year (our first cruise, a trip to a mid-century-modern themed resort, and a Christmas cruise with my Mother-in-law). I made multiple shirt styles, fitted shorts, bathing suits, and bags for the cruise (cancelled – see below), cabana outfits and bowling shirts (that trip happened and was wonderful), and I began a tropical holiday sport coat that is now on hold, as that cruise was moved to next year. It wasn’t until I had time to breathe in late August that I realized I didn’t have anything new for the booth, and a very full schedule between then and October!
Anticipation and Loss My husband’s coping mechanism for getting through the 2022-2023 school year was to plan our first cruise for June 2023. He spent hours and hours on research: blogs, message boards, websites, travel agents, booking and rebooking for deals, buying supplies, and planning our outfits. It would be a gross understatement to say this cruise was highly anticipated. As I said, I had made us multiple shirts, shorts, bathing suits, and bags in my free time. We thought we were going until 48 hours before our flight to Texas to meet the ship. That is when my brother, who had been battling cancer, moved to hospice care. We made the decision to cancel the trip (praying our trip insurance would reimburse us some of the cost) and go to Florida to say goodbye to him. We rearranged our luggage, booked new flights, and went directly from the airport to the house to see him, then to a fundraiser for him that was being held at his local bar. We stopped in again to see him the next day where I had a chance to tell him about the wonderful community that had rallied around his family at the bar, and that they would be taken care of – he could stop suffering and let go.
Our flight home was delayed and then cancelled, which would have stranded us in the Fort Myers airport for 3 more days. We were able to find flights out of Orlando for the next day, so we rented the second car of the trip to drive 3+ hours to Orlando to stay overnight. That night, my brother passed. Some other time I can tell you more details of how our 3 day trip turned into being stuck in Florida for 18 days (4 flight cancellations, checked baggage retrieval, 5 rental cars, 6 hotels, a wake, a funeral…. it was a lot).
Losing my brother, only 4 years older than me, was (and is) extremely painful for all of us.
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign… After my Father passed, his way of letting me know he was around was to play a song that had special meaning to us. I remember one really rough commute that made me ornery and angry. I walked into my go-to coffee spot and as I was steaming next to the bakery case trying to decide which muffin to get, Country Roads by John Denver came on. This was a popular spot with students near MIT and usually played more (shall we say) modern music. I immediately stopped fuming, took a breath and whispered “Thanks Dad.” Other out-of-place songs happen whenever I need him, and I know he’s with me.
My brother also had many songs that I immediately equate with him any time I heard them, most of them Neil Diamond classics. This became common knowledge for anyone that met him for more than 10 minutes. At the wake, there were only 3 songs played on repeat: 2 Neil Diamond songs and one that you can probably guess if you noticed the title. Cut to August: I’m frantically trying to think of something I can whip-up for the booth with no success, and out of the blue, this song starts playing in my head:
At first, I thought it was because we had been listening to it at the wake and singing it at the top of our lungs at the bar after the funeral, but it was increasingly insistent and immediately present whenever I thought about October. So thank you, Brother. I hear you loud and clear.
But First, Some History The song Rhinestone Cowboy (and the movies Rhinestone and The Electric Horseman) would not exist if not for Nudie Cohn. This Ukrainian Jewish refugee is the unlikely father of the Western suits covered in embroidery and rhinestones that are still known as “Nudie Suits.” You can see some examples of his work in the Country Music Hall of Fame, or visit Nudie’s Honky Tonk bar in Nashville, where they have many of his suits on display, along with one of his custom cars!
photo of Nudie Cohen by Raeanne Rubenstein borrowed from here.
My Dad was in a country-western band while I was growing up, and while he didn’t wear Nudie suits, he did have fancy Western shirts, ties, and white Chelsea boots that I loved (and wish I still had). We also watched Hee Haw growing up, and I was always drawn to those guest stars with the rhinestones and fringe. These days, I’m obsessed with both Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile, two female Nudie Suit lovers. In fact, I have thought for a long time about recreating one of Dolly’s iconic outfits translated for a man… maybe next year? I am really looking forward to Dolly’s new book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones! Anyway…now we have our inspiration.
Getting a Base Color I didn’t have enough time to construct and tailor a suit from scratch, and I wasn’t going to use one of my suits, so I went to the internet to find a (relatively) cheap suit in a deep, saturated color. While orange would have been an obvious choice for a Halloween-themed Nudie suit (again, maybe next year?), and my research had shown Nudie suits in mustard yellow, white, hot pink, gold, and black, I was drawn to a deep Royal Blue for my base suit.
King of Shreds and Patches While I have some very basic embroidery stiches on my sewing machine I’ve used to embellish some of my other booth outfits, and my good friend has a proper embroidery machine, I knew that there wasn’t enough time to make sure it was done properly, so I decided that I would use off-the-shelf iron-on embroidered patches to achieve the right look. The only problem was: what theme?!? Vintage Nudie Suites had cohesive themes – music notes, cowboys, wagons, fire, gambling, even marijuana. I scrolled for hours through hundreds of patches online looking for inspiration. When the suit arrived, I tried it on and envisioned myself covered in patches and rhinestones. I already felt like a peacock.
Aha!
I immediately narrowed my search and grabbed as many different sizes and styles of peacock and peacock feather patches. I also grabbed some elaborate phoenix embroidery pieces and patches of other colorful birds. I bought anything that was a showy, colorful flying creature. I went to Joann’s Fabrics and Crafts and scoured the shelves for more, picking-up some flowered vines and some beautiful moths and butterflies in different colors and sizes. I even picked-up some patches that would be hidden from view. There is a small patch that says “a lil’ bougie” that I put on the left butt cheek of the pants (cheeky!) and “IT IS WHAT IT IS” on the inside of the jacket. During my brother’s time in hospice, his passing, and while we were dealing with travel issues, this last phrase was my go-to response when someone asked how I was doing or how I was coping. I know it’s there against my heart and it reminds me of the inspiration for the suit when I see it.
When I felt like I had more than enough patches, I laid the suit out and started playing with the placement until I was happy with it. When I asked a few friends for advice, I was told “More is always better,” so I got to work ironing and gluing all of the patches on.
One Can Never Have Too Many Shoes or Hats While the suit was coming together, I knew there was one hurdle that still loomed ahead. Here in Massachusetts, there are not a lot of call for Western clothiers. I have a large head and pretty wide feet, so ordering a cowboy hat or boots online frightened me, especially with the limited time. I didn’t want to have multiple rounds of purchase -> ship -> try on -> return -> repeat. Thankfully, I found a Boot Barn about 75 minutes away just over the border in New Hampshire, and I had one day that I enough free time to drive up and try things on.
I bought the first pair of boots I tried on. They were the ones I was looking for, they came in wide, and they were so comfortable! The same with the hat. Both are a silvery gray color. White hats and boots aren’t truly stark white and would clash with the bright white of some of the patch edges, and I thought black was too somber or had too many bad connotations. I was done shopping in less than 15 minutes, but that 2.5 hour round trip was well worth my peace-of-mind. On the drive up, I had the thought that I should probably look for a flashy belt buckle while I was in the store, as it was something I hadn’t yet planned for. When we walked in the door, my husband turned to me and said “Why don’t you already own that?” walking over to a rack of women’s belts hanging just opposite and pointing to a belt that was ENTIRELY crusted in rhinestones. I obviously bought it and it is the perfect addition to the suit, as was the fancy white Western shirt with pearl buttons I picked-up.
It’s Hard to be a Diamond in a Rhinestone World As I mentioned before, I’m always trying to learn new techniques, so I look for those opportunities when picking a project. My foray into adding rhinestones to anything was very limited. I quickly learned how to apply hotfix rhinestones a few years ago when my friend asked me to decorate her chemo bag with a purple tiara, and I do own a Bedazzler, though I don’t think I’ve every really used it. Hotfix rhinestones come with a glue already applied to their flat side. You use a special tool, like a wood burning or soldering iron, to press and heat the stone, melting the glue into the weave of the fabric to adhere it. Real Nudie Suits had hand-sewn stones or were typically fastened onto the garment by a pronged setting from the back side of the fabric, like the Bedazzler does. Since all of my patches were affixed with an iron, and because I was putting the stones on an already-constructed garment, I went with hotfix. They may not last forever, but that is OK.
Finishing Touches Once the patches and rhinestones were set, something was missing. I went back to the source material to try to find what I had missed. In many Nudie Suits, the pockets, lapels, and cuffs are usually trimmed in a contrasting color. With such a richly colored suit, it helps to make these elements pop, rather than blend in, especially on stage, where they were meant to be seen. I found some white satin piping and edged the lapel and the two flap pockets on the jacket. With the white shirt underneath in the front and the white edging on some of the patches on the back, this really brought everything together better than I could have hoped.
I had a hard time choosing whether to have the shirt open at the neck or wear a cravat or a bolo tie. In doing my rhinestone accessory shopping, I came across this rhinestone rope meant to be a hoodie string replacement, and decided to make my own ridiculous rhinestone bolo tie. I grabbed a brooch that looked thematic, glued it to a bolo slide blank, and voila!
For the hat, I found a trim at Joann’s that I stuck on top of the existing band, and secured it with a phoenix brooch from my collection, bringing a little bit of color and theme up to the hat.
For flair (too late!), I sprayed my “Ask Me I’m a Local” button with glitter and glued some extra rhinestones around the edge and added the most important accessory: the rhinestone blue ribbon brooch in remembrance of my brother and his battle with Colon Cancer.
The Reveal Do you feel like you’re on a baking site scrolling forever through someone’s ramblings and ads when all you wanted was a recipe?!? Sorry. If you’ve made it this far (or just scrolled through pictures), here is the payoff:
I am so happy with how this turned out. I had a vague idea of what it should be, but not a clear design. This is the first time I felt like I was winging-it and designing as I was going. It was freeing, in a way, but also frightening. I second-guessed a lot of my gut reactions and that delayed the process. I was having trouble committing to designs and layouts because I was afraid of messing it up. If I had sat down and drawn-out a fully-fleshed-out design before getting started (as I usually do), it would have been less stressful, and I wouldn’t have bought so many extra patches and stones!
I now have a custom Nudie-style suit and an itch in my soul to bedazzle everything I own…
In junior high school, I had typing class. There was a special classroom fitted with desks holding electric typewriters. Not word processors (my college essays were written on), but electric typewriters, with ink, paper, and satisfyingly clunky keyboards. On holidays, we made typography ‘artwork’ by following instructions (55 “X”, Return, 30 spaces, 57 “m”, etc) that, when finished, created a picture made of letters and symbols. I ended-up Valedictorian of my graduating class (#humblebrag), but typing and gym were my worse subjects by far. The typing teacher would put a piece of paper covering my hands so I couldn’t see what I was typing. I had to rely on the hand placement around ASDF JKL: and ‘feel’ my way to the other letters without peeking. I cheated more than I should have, and regretted it later in life. Today (34 years later), I’m more proficient and can type quite quickly without looking. I wonder what my speed is (remember Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing)? Maybe I could be a stenog!
“Speed Test” from the original Broadway cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie
When we moved up to the high school, there was a “computer lab” full of Apple IIe desktops with files and files of floppy disks (the actually floppy 8 inch ones – do you know how you keep them from being written over? you cut a notch in the side of them…). These machines were relatively new, but just at the end of their lifecycle. The screens were black and green, and the MS-DOS game of Math Rabbit required several floppy disks to be inserted to play. I remember a full screen of ‘code’ just for the machine to draw a square (<run>). By the time I was a senior, I was writing essays and term papers on a Brother Word Processor that looked a lot like the electronic typewriters of years before, but I could type and edit an entire page on a one-line green and black screen before it typed on the paper. It saved on ink and white-out, but today’s kids would have had a very hard time with it.
The World Wide Web went public in 1993, while I was graduating. My small town library didn’t have internet, and neither did the school. When I went to college, there was a more sophisticated computer lab, but you had to sign-up for time to use the computers attached to the World Wide Web, and you had to pay per minute of usage. By junior year (1995-1996), we had email, and all of the machines in the lab were connected to the internet. I remember printing out (on a dot-matrix printer) email from my college boyfriend. Personal computers were extremely expensive. I didn’t have my own until the 2000s.
If you followed-along on my post about my job experiences, the internet didn’t really change my life until I worked at the touring theatre production company. Out of college, I ran a dinner theatre. We didn’t have internet, we had tap dancing! I wasn’t even able to use the internet to find the touring production job. I saw it in the newspaper (in print!) and mailed (by post!) my application for the job. Then they called me on a landline (!!!) to set-up an interview. This all seems SO CRAZY when I’m writing it, but that’s how it was. I didn’t have my first cell phone until 1998!
Anyway, the next job was for a touring theatrical production company based in downtown Boston. There was a Cellular One store two doors down (later CingularOne, then AT&T), and on a lunch break I went an purchased my first Nokia phone (indestructible!) with the number I still have 25 years later. I still didn’t have internet. The phone made and received calls, and could keep my calendar. While we had computers at our desks, they ran DOS in a closed system that tracked reservations and ticket sales. After a year of being in the office, I discovered there was one computer in the corner of the office connected to the internet (dial-up). The owner had set it up because someone told her it was important, but no one used it. One day, she asked if I knew how to use this “web” thing. I went in every chance I got to look for discounted show tickets, travel deals, and venue research for her. A year later, they gave us email and connected all of our CPUs to the internet. They gave us a day to ‘get used to’ to internet and to play around. Our office manager, a longtime user of newspaper personal ads, found the online ads and loudly proclaimed; “They have ones for you!” As a gay single man in an office of young straight females, I was suddenly the center of attention as they all crowded around my computer to see what the gay ones looked like. I don’t know if you’ve experienced Yahoo personals in 1999, but they were…specific… and graphic. After 2 or 3 “Daddy looking for a pig bottom” and “CD for a…” they all ran away. I looked at a few more and one popped-out at me:
Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death
Auntie Mame
A quote from Auntie Mame? My favorite movie of ALL TIME?! Then it went on to say that they were looking for gay friends, wanting to explore the city, etc. I was living, at the time, in South Boston with three straight single women. Every night it was Will & Grace & Grace & Grace. If we went to a club or a party, they got free drinks from sleazy guys wanting to get with them, then I was the ‘boyfriend’ at the end of the night if they didn’t want to take them home. Sometimes they would all come home with someone, but I was always alone. Though the ad said “looking for 25 and older,” and I was technically months away from 25, I wrote to him, which started a months-long correspondence.
SPOILER ALERT: That man and I are celebrating the 24th anniversary of our first date later this year, and just celebrated 9 years of marriage.
There have been dark times brought about in my life because of the internet, but since I would not have the life I have now without it, I can forgive those moments. I use it almost constantly for work and for personal use, and you are using it right now to read this story. How insane is that?
This year, we were split across town. We had the Info Booth at the Salem Common with shifts of 2 inside and 2 outside, and a tent in Lappin Park (by the Bewitched Statue) with shifts of 2 people.
By the numbers – here are the visitors I helped per 2 hour shift: 10/2 – 186 10/2 – 164 10/9 – 218 10/15 – 165 10/16 – 189 10/17 – 446 10/22 – 116 10/23 – 268 10/29 – 213 10/30- 154 10/30 – 46 (Flooding rain!)
All total, I helped 2,165 people. That 446 on 10/17 was because I was alone at Lappin Park. The last shift of only 46 was due to a MONSOON of rain that flooded the common. Thankfully, I had planned ahead a few years before. In a reverse Murphy’s Law, the idea was that if I planned for a costume that could handle the rain, it would never rain! So I put together the Gorton’s Fisherman outfit in 2019 (I had a Gorton’s nametag and a fake fish finger box in my brochure bag). Finally, on the 30th, I wore it during the day shift (light rain) and then switched to the kid from the movie IT for the evening shift (flooding). I had a ton of people recognize the Gorton’s Fisherman and ask for photos, many of whom had family that worked there (they are based up in Gloucester, MA, a 20-minute drive north).
A big challenge this year was the weather. It seemed it was unseasonable warm every weekend. I pulled-out a lot of kilt-based costumes and lighter things like the Beetlejuice suit and the pirate for those shifts. And, of course, there was the issue of matching masks for each look:
The orange kilt outfit was new, based around a glow-in-the-dark Disney Halloween jacket. I found the bright orange kilt online, and added a few light-up slap bracelets (meant for nighttime runners) to add to my ankles, wrists, and bowler hat. That was a fund one for a night shift! A few of the old standbys (Herbology Professor and Salem Ambassador) made it into rotation, only because I had SO MANY shifts. Here, at the downswing in the pandemic, people were still wary of working with the public and putting themselves at risk. I was careful, and never got sick.
You will notice the COVID weight gain pushing the limits on some of these costumes… Let’s hope by the time next year comes around that that will have been fixed.
Note: This is the second installment of a two part series. Part 1 can be found here.
Background: In an earlier post from April, I offered advice on creating a “Verifiable Weekend” while working from home by either creating or breaking routines (if you missed it, I suggest taking a look at Making Time When It All Blends Together – the weekend section is at the end). With all of our travel plans cancelled and the inability to leave (or return to) the state without a 72-hour COVID-19 negative test, health attestation application, or 14-day quarantine, I have not really thought about taking vacation time. As the end of Summer looms here in New England, and as the Zoom fatigue starts bearing down, however, maybe now is the time to take some time away. I blocked time in my boss’ calendar to make sure she took some time off to de-stress and re-center. I should do the same for myself, and so should you.
Part 2: What if you can leave your house, but can’t leave the state?
Part 1 focused on suggestions for those that have to stay at home. Part 2 will broaden the scope to those that are healthy enough to travel locally, but cannot cross state lines. Since I live in Salem, I will be highlighting day trips within Massachusetts – however, I hope the ideas might inspire you to search for similar trips in your area.
Where to begin?
Planning: The key to any successful trip, in my opinion, is very careful planning. I chose those words intentionally – I am not saying completely planning every moment, but thinking strategically about the entire trip and being carefully selective in planning key elements. Taking the time to research and make these plans ahead of your vacation will ensure that your time on vacation is spent relaxing and enjoying yourself.
One thing that is very important to schedule: Serendipity. Wait, what?!? “But Eric!”(I hear you say) “Serendipity is defined as the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. How can I schedule that?!” When planning your vacation, be sure to schedule free time to let unexpected things happen.
Consider these scenarios: After arriving at your destination, a local gives you a suggestion of something you simply must do when you are there. If you’ve scheduled every moment, you would be forced to chose whether or not to cancel one of your plans to fit the new adventure in. Or maybe, because you’ve scheduled so many activities or tours, there is no time to enjoy the beautiful pool, the fire pit, or the hot tub where you are staying. What if something took longer than you expected on your Day 1 itinerary? If you’ve scheduled serendipity for Day 3, you can go back and finish anything you skipped, or go back to check out that quirky-looking antique book store that you quickly passed during the hidden secrets walking tour.
Or, if you are adventurous, you can throw caution to wind and play Lobby Brochure Roulette! Each member of your party closes their eyes and grabs a random brochure, then everyone agrees on one of those chosen (depending on cost, distance, if reservations are needed, physical limitations, etc), and that is what you are doing for the day! As a very good friend of ours used to say:
Let whimsy be your blind date!
James Nance, Gentleman & Scholar
Of course, please also schedule downtime. If you go on three major hikes in three days, you are going to need some time to rest and recover.
Day Trips
A few years ago, I noticed that we worked so hard during the week that we never thought about the weekend until we were in it. Sick of wasting time, and longing to do some of the things we always talked about doing, I filled a jar with day trip ideas. The plan was that we would choose one (Friday night or early in the morning) and that would be what we would do. Here is the list I came up with all those years ago, in case you want to start your own Day Trip Jar (again, this is only going to appeal to the Massachusetts crowd, but note there are some out-of-state options included): DAY TRIPS
Here in Massachusetts, we are in phase 3, step 1 of reopening, which allows for restaurants (indoor and outdoor), hotels, museums, gyms, outdoor venues, and movie theaters to be open. All businesses that have been allowed to open so far have been given very specific and strict restrictions and regulations to keep both their employees and the public safe.
Please research and adhere to all regulations posted by each place you visit. Most businesses require you to wear a mask when in their establishment, and to practice social distancing requirements. A good rule of thumb, when in doubt, is to wear your mask and stay 6 feet from others, even if it is not required. Be a good citizen. Protect yourself and help to protect others.
Finding the Fun:Vacations should be relaxing, yes, but they should also be fun. Whether you have a family, are a solo traveler, or it’s just the two of you, remember to play.
Play Tourist: Is there a museum, attraction, or historic spot in your own home town that you have never been to because that’s for tourists?! Well now is your chance to be a tourist. In all likelihood, the crowds that usually flock to these places are not doing so right now, so you will have the luxury of it not being crowded, and you will be supporting your local economy. Find a walking tour, either self-guided, or by a local expert. We are lucky enough to have Salem Food Tours, and I expect the nationwide trend of eating/playing/drinking locally means that you probably have one in your city, or one nearby. Maybe you can find a tour of haunted places, or hop on a Segway, a trolley, a kayak, a schooner, or a duck boat that brings you all around the city. You’ll be surprised at the things you learn, and you’ll be better prepared with options when you have future visitors that are looking for something to do.
Play Photojournalist: Here on this blog, I tend to let the photos speak for themselves (see Salem Willows, Witchcraft Victims’ Memorial in Danvers, and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, for examples), usually because I’ve taken too many photos! Try to be more like the staff of The Atlantic: take your camera (or camera phone) with you and take photos of everything you see, noting special details on a small pocket notebook (or in your phone’s Notes), so when you get home, you can create a full narrative of your day. Try making a short slideshow video with narration or subtitles and post it to YouTube, or start a blog and write-out a full story, weaving the photos throughout. If you are a savvy social media Influencer, create interest in your content by posting the photos in a series, releasing one photo at a time with accompanying captions on Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, or Tik Tok. Heck, you could even create your own book to give as gifts! In the same way that playing tourist in a familiar place can make you see things you’ve overlooked, photographing something with the intent to convey the feeling and sense of a place to someone else can be a wonderful exercise in seeing the world in a unique and meaningful way.
Play Researcher: We don’t have children, but this is definitely the kind of thing we would do with them on a regular basis if we did:
1. Pick a location.
2. Go to the Library (or the internet, if your libraries aren’t open) and do research pertinent to that location.
3. Visit the location, where the Researcher acts as guide and teacher for everyone else.
Examples: Pick a historic place and have the researcher point out the things they learned in their research. Find an autobiography of a local person and visit their home, or all of the local places mentioned in the book. Choose a specific period/style/culture and visit an art, history, or science museum, where the researcher acts as docent. Learn about local flora and fauna and take a walk in a nearby forest, beach, or tide pool, where the researcher can identify specimens. Choose one animal or a remote location (like the Serengeti) and visit a zoo where the researcher can teach about the natural habitat or attributes of the animals. Choose a city block that contains many different architectural styles or features and point out the ones they have learned about. Learn about the three major classical orders of columns (Doric, Ionic, & Corinthian) then walk around a city and point them out.
Several of the items found on the Day Trips list lend themselves to these approaches, and I believe these approaches bring a form of engagement to your activities that can make everyone appreciate and enjoy the trip in a special way.
Overnight Trips
As I mentioned earlier, hotels are now open (with restrictions), as well as campgrounds, home shares, and B&B’s in Massachusetts. Basically, the only things not open are arenas, gambling facilities, theme parks, and other high-capacity venues, along with any non-medical close contact services (massage, waxing, etc.). So if your plans involve large gatherings or a stranger getting up-close-and-personal, then you are out of luck.
A lot of the same rules and ideas apply, but keep in mind: 1. Research what is open and what the local regulations are. 2. Wear a mask (bring several – at least one per day, or plan to disinfect it). 3. Always stay socially distant from those people that are not part of your pandemic pod. 4. Find out if you may need to reserve a specific time to enter certain museums or buildings, and plan accordingly. 5. Check all of the meal options in the area. Do the restaurants offer delivery or pick-up? Consider packing a cooler with pre-made muffins, sandwiches, charcuterie, snacks and water to limit the contact with delivery persons to one meal per day. 6. Pack disinfecting wipes, disposable gloves, and hand sanitizer.
Hotels: If you walk into a hotel and the person behind the desk is not wearing a mask (or wearing it incorrectly), turn right around and stay somewhere else. This goes for any member of the staff.
If you can, check before you book if the hotel is making safety a priority. Feel free to call them and ask what they are doing to curb the pandemic. If you do not feel comfortable with their practices, book somewhere else. The most important thing right now is that you feel safe during your vacation.
Camping: My husband’s idea of camping is staying on the Club Level at the Wilderness Lodge, but we have family with RVs and campers. I think those that have the money (and parking space) for an RV are the luckiest during this time. While some campgrounds still remain closed, there are many that are open with restrictions (communal bathing houses and restrooms are hard to control). If your hotel room is on wheels in an RV, you have the most control over your environment. You know if every surface has been thoroughly disinfected, and you can sleep in comfort knowing that you are safe. Unfortunately, this is a luxury most of us cannot afford. If you are camping in a tent, the idea is similar, however, you may be beholden to using the campground public facilities, which can be risky.
Home Sharing: Unlike corporate hotels, Home Share sites have no governance when it comes to requiring compliance with CDC guidelines and keeping a safe and clean accommodation. I suggest, when making your search for such an accommodation, that you only consider properties where you can contact the owner directly and can ask them how they clean the house between guests. If you do go this route, I would highly recommend bringing your own disinfecting wipes and cleaning products. This is easily done, since you are likely driving to this location – no flight restrictions!
Cash or Card?: COVID-19 has further divided the populace on the question of cash vs. card. I have seen both extremes, with a drive-through cashier refusing to handle a card (even with gloves) to gas station attendants not accepting cash. It’s hard to know what you will face, so I suggest being ready to use either. Remember: you are the visitor, the guest, in this place – act with grace and humility. If someone balks at you handing them cash, whip out your card, do NOT argue with them or become a Karen. They are risking their health, and the health of their families to provide you with whatever service you are asking for, so please be civil and patient.
Packing Clothing: Unfortunately, I think you will have to pack twice as much as you normally would. We don’t really know how long the coronavirus can stay active on clothing, but if an asymptomatic carrier should cough on you, or you somehow brush against a hard surface that is infected, you are not going to want to wear that clothing again until it’s been washed and disinfected. Pack large zip seal bags in your suitcase to collect dirty laundry, and wash your hands thoroughly after putting them in the bags. When you get home, wear gloves when handling the laundry, or wash thoroughly after putting them in the machine. Make sure you use a high heat setting on the dryer.
Scared yet?
It is certainly not my intention to frighten you out of taking a vacation – just the opposite. I want you to have the vacation you deserve and to do so in a healthy, relaxing, and memorable way. It’s in my nature to plan for the worst and expect the best, but I am also an advocate for adding fun and frivolity to everyday life to keep it interesting.
I hope you enjoyed this series of posts. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you make the most of your vacation time during a pandemic, and if you’ve taken any of my ideas, I’d absolutely love to hear how it went! Leave a comment below.
In an earlier post from April, I offered advice on creating a “Verifiable Weekend” while working from home by either creating or breaking routines (if you missed it, I suggest taking a look at Making Time When It All Blends Together – the weekend section is at the end). With all of our travel plans cancelled and the inability to leave (or return to) the state without a 72-hour COVID-19 negative test, health attestation application, or 14-day quarantine, I have not really thought about taking vacation time. As the end of Summer looms here in New England, and as the Zoom fatigue starts bearing down, however, maybe now is the time to take some time away. I blocked time in my boss’ calendar to make sure she took some time off to de-stress and re-center. I should do the same for myself, and so should you.
Where to begin?
Planning: The key to any successful trip, in my opinion, is very careful planning. I chose those words intentionally – I am not saying completely planning every moment1, but thinking strategically about the entire trip and being carefully selective in planning key elements. Taking the time to research and make these plans ahead of your vacation will ensure that your time on vacation is spent relaxing and enjoying yourself.
Part 1: What if you have to stay at home?
Think of your space differently: If you have been working from home like some of us, you likely have a room, or just a space, where you work remotely. Plan to erase all signs of work from that space when it’s time for vacation. Put your laptop, notebooks, files, coffee cup, pens, lamps – whatever you added to that space to make it a workspace – into a closet or someplace where it is out of sight and out of mind. You want to be able to use this space during your vacation, and don’t want to be reminded of work. Reclaim it for relaxing. Set-up a puzzle, or a complex board game, or tools for a new hobby on your desk. If you’ve taken over the dining room table for working, make sure it’s cleared and use it for it’s original purpose. Eat all of your meals there2.
Change your bedroom into a hotel room by ordering a new set of sheets or duvet cover online, wash them, and wait to put them on until the morning your vacation has officially started. It’s like you’re in a new bed! Put some water bottles and a magazine or two by the bed, and maybe add a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket on the dresser. Plan to “make it an early night” (wink wink) one night and open that bubbly, or plan to wake up on one of the mornings and stay in bed being lazy with a magazine and a mimosa. Make an agreement on who is going to make the coffee and bring it to the other – maybe you switch each day. Order some luxurious bathrobes that you don’t use until the vacation. Spend your lazy day wearing nothing but those robes. If you have the space (and the physical ability), re-arrange the furniture so your bed is in a different spot. If you have the luxury of owning a guest room, stay there during the vacation The idea is that you want to make it not feel like your every day experience.
Turn your bathroom into a Spa. Like the sheets and the bathrobe, maybe you can order a plush set of new towels. They could just be a new color. If you want to go whole-hog, buy a new shower curtain and bath mat to match. Once you have these things, they can be integrated into your everyday or saved for special staycations in the future – either way, you will associate the fond memories made during this time with these items every time you see them. The night before your vacation starts, swap out all of the soap, shampoo, toothpaste and mouthwash with travel toiletries you’ve collected from hotel rooms in the past. If you don’t have any – order some fancy sample-sized bottles (try Ulta, Sephora, Aveda or this guide). Pull all of the facial masks, nail polish, scrubs, bubble baths, and other unused products out from under your sink and use them! Give each other a massage or paint each other’s toes.
Think of food differently: You may have noticed that I included your coffee cup in the list of things to hide earlier, and I mean it. If you drink from the same mug every day at your “desk,” then hide it and use a different one during your vacation. Do you have unused china tea cups and saucers in a cupboard? Use them. Why not change your coffee brand or blend for this time, or switched to iced coffee or tea? Your morning brew isn’t the only thing that can receive an upgrade. If you do have a set of dishes that is only used for special occasions, use it for all of your meals. This is a special occasion, and you’d be surprised how a plain old lunch sandwich can look right-at-home on an antique Royal Doulton gold-rimmed salad plate!
If you have the money (and you might, since you are saving so much in airfare, hotel, and other costs!), plan to order delivery for every dinner. Think of it as Room Service. Alternately, you can pre-plan most of your meals by prepping them in advance, start a trial meal subscription service to coincide with your vacation, make your own box based on a recipe you’ve been wanting to try, or find a complicated or time-consuming recipe that will give you a chance to work together in the kitchen preparing the meal. Try your hand at making croissants from scratch. The process can take 2-3 days (mostly downtime), and on the day they are baked, plan to enjoy breakfast croissants with jam, picnic sandwiches on croissants, and maybe a croissant bread pudding for dessert that night. Can’t think of meals? Research the menus from your favorite restaurants, or ones that you’ve always wanted to go to, and try to re-create a dish that intrigues you. When planning any this out, think of clean-up. There is no maid coming in to clean your room every day, and you don’t want to spend most of your time washing dishes.
Do you ever make Brunch at home? If not, now is the time to do so. Similarly, if you skip breakfast during the work week, think of taking the time to make yourself a full breakfast – pretend you’re at a diner and make some eggs, bacon, toast and homefries. Now is the time to indulge in a doughnut or bagel from the local bakery. Dust off that waffle iron you’ve barely used, or prepare an overnight breakfast casserole that you can slip in the oven while you are making coffee to bring back to bed for your loved one.
Turn lunch into a picnic, even if you don’t have an outdoor space. Picnics can be romantic (and bug free) in the living room, in bed, or on the floor of the kitchen. We have 2 parking spots behind our condo, and we’ve been using the empty one lately as a patio where we set-up beach chairs and sit with our coffee or read a book. And, I don’t think I really need to give you permission, but remember: You are on vacation, so wine, beer and cocktails (especially fruity or frozen) are acceptable during any waking hour of a vacation. A Mimosa or a Bloody Mary during breakfast/brunch, wine with lunch or dinner, a preprandial and/or postprandial cocktail, or a nightcap are all acceptable (in moderation – best not to include all in one day – don’t overdo it). Invest in some proper glassware3, decorations and garnishes if you are going for something tropical. Find a few new drinks to try. I highly recommend diving into a few episodes of How to Drink.
Think of activities differently: What types of activities do you usually do on vacation? Do you go to theme parks, camping, hiking, site seeing, or maybe for a cultural experience? Try to find correlations in the activities you are able to do while confined to home with your favorite aspects of your typical vacation.
Keep in mind these three tenets of successful quarantine staycationing:
Enjoy this time off from work: You deserve it. Relive and cherish the memories of past vacations. Do not dwell on the fact that you cannot be there right now.
If you do find yourself becoming depressed, start to plan your future trip. Even if you can’t book a date, you can start to make a list of what you want to do, and start a budget to be ready for that moment when you will be able to take that dream vacation.
If your typical vacation revolves around a theme park, really think of what it is that you most enjoy during those trips. Is it the food? The entertainment? The attractions? The togetherness? The food can be recreated (even Dole Whips) with just a little effort. Try making one of your favorite special treats. Find a playlist online of the theme park’s music and play it while making and eating these treats. Look through those photo albums that you made that are collecting dust on the shelf (or the 137 photos and videos you took on your phone last time) and re-live those memories (or live vicariously through someone else’s). Find videos of the parades, rides, or fireworks that you love and watch them together.
If your typical vacation involves camping and hiking, see what national parks or campgrounds in your area are open and accepting visitors. Pitch your tent in the living room (or make one out of blankets) or in your back yard. Turn off the lights and turn on a personal planetarium while you tell scary stories around some candles or a flashlight. Turn off the air conditioning and open all the windows to listen the sounds of the outdoors. Get a field guide of local flora or fauna to identify things in your neighborhood, or download a mobile app to track local bird sightings in your yard. Spend most of your time outdoors, including meals. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, or you are forced to stay indoors, use this time to plan your next adventure. Research a National Park you’ve always wanted to visit, or read accounts of hikers on a trail you feel you aren’t ready for. Work on a puzzle of a place you have been, reliving stories from that trip, perhaps while listening (or creating) the ambient sounds of that location.
If international travelis your raison d’être, spend your time at home immersing yourself in a culture you either have experienced, or wish to. Learn the language, or, if you are already fluent, work it into your daily speech. Try your hand at the cuisine, taking care to research regional specialties and new ingredients. Watch movies or television from this culture (subtitles optional), read a biography of one of their most influential residents, listen to the music, search for an online museum where you can view the art and history, study the map to find interesting regions or towns to research, and take notes in a journal to reference when you are finally able to visit these places.
If a quick weekend in NYCis your go-to vacation, sign up for a free 7-day trial of BroadwayHD, make yourself a sausage roll (extra onions), listen to some live jazz, do some online window shopping (with or without breakfast), watch Sex & the City (or any of these movies – be sure to pick a few from different eras), take a drone flight over your favorite neighborhood, visit the Met, the Guggenheim, or the Statue of Liberty, and put this on in the background.
Think of clothing differently: If you’ve been wearing pajama bottoms with a dress shirt and tie for your video calls at work, change things up by wearing actual matching clothes. Think of what you would pack (or go ahead an pack) in a suitcase for your typical vacation. Make it a game by choosing your possible outfits before the vacation, and then only allowing yourself to wear those clothes you’ve “brought with you.” Don’t forget a bathing suit for the pool, or evening wear for the elegant dinner you were planning. Maybe it is warm where you are, but you were planning a cruise to Alaska: crank-up the A.C. and put on your winter clothes indoors (don’t forget your scarf). Or maybe it’s winter, and you were planning a Walt Disney World trip to Florida: turn-up the heat and wear your shorts, tshirts, and bathing suit indoors. Often, people buy new clothes for a vacation, especially for cruises. Think about where you are going, and what you might need to buy. Maybe you need a sarong or a cover-up for the cabana, or big floppy hat for the beach, or some appropriately themed accessories.
In conclusion: However you spend your time away from your virtual office, remember to enjoy yourself. Vacations are a privilege, but also a reward for the hard work we’ve put in. Make the most of what you have and what you can do, but do it for fun and for relaxation.
I hope these suggestions and tools will help you to make the most of your time off during these difficult and uneasy times. If you have suggestions or ideas of ways to enhance your own staycations, please comment below. And if you take any of my advice, I’ve love to hear about it!
1 Our Disney friends all know about my “Psycho Disney Day Planner” – a spreadsheet that is customized for each trip that plots out each day in 30 minute blocks where we can insert dining reservations, FastPasses, parade or show times, park hours, confirmation numbers, flights, and other details all on one page view. It’s extremely helpful in visualizing how the trip will flow. We take special care to include whimsy and serendipity into the scheduling, as well as rest and pool days. One day, I may share the template on Disneypages.com, or I may try to offer it as a paid service or tool for others.
2 We have seen a lot of death and heard a lot of stories of regret in the past few years, so we are both of the opinion that you should use what you have now, while you can. That includes using the “good china” and silver as often as you’d like and eating at the dining room table every day (not only on holidays).
3 My Nana used to say that tea tasted best out of a bone china cup and saucer. I stand by that, and add that proper cocktails should always be served in the proper glassware (and NEVER in plastic cups)!
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As a member of Generation X, I was privileged to grow up with, among many other significantcultural touchstones, The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera during my formative years (for me, age 9 through my teens). Two of my favorite cartoons from that series were the mix of syndicated and new episodes of both The Flintstones and their space-age counterpart: The Jetsons!*
Supposedly, we are watching the Jetsons living their lives in the year 2062, 100 years from the original series air dates (which means we are only 42 year away as of writing this in 2020). Of course, when I was sitting at home after school or on Saturday mornings watching these cartoons, I didn’t know what year it was supposed to be. It was just “the future.”
The Future
Growing up in the 70’s/80’s/90’s, the “Future” was always just around the corner, sometime in the next millennium. We made it past 1984 and that was doubleplusgood (of course, today in America is eerily similar…). Our parents kept us from watching 2001: A Space Odyssey until we were old enough to handle the suspense, but even as we approached the millennium and it’s Y2K scare, an unthinkably long-off year still grabbed out attention: 2020.
So let’s assume I was imagining that the Jetsons were flying around in 2020. It wasn’t that far of a leap, since in 1985, the movie Back to the Future promised us we’d have a Hoverboard as well as flying cars, in 2015. Five years seemed like plenty of time to build cities in the sky. Let’s compare the Jetsons vision with what we have today.
Video Phones
How many morning Zoom meetings have you wished for a Video Phone mask?
The video phone was certainly not a new idea, but the infrastructure and the technology of the 60’s (and event the 80’s in reruns) just didn’t make it practical. Video Conferencing technology bloomed in the 70’s and belonged exclusively to large multi-national corporations, the governemt, and the evening news. In the late 80’s the video conference began being marketed for personal use, but the technology required was very expensive, and you could only call someone who also had the same set-up. The advent and adoption of cellular telephones by the masses, and the freedom (imprisonment?) of always having a phone with you and always being available to be reached, superseded the wish for video phones. The first Smartphone came out in the 90’s, though they wouldn’t be connected to the internet until 2001. Around the turn of the century, cameras started being built in, though they acted as a single feature, like a Swiss Army Knife, not an integrated application. During this smartphone boom, video conference phones (hard-lined office phones with built-in screens and cameras) evolved and grew smaller, though they still required audio and data lines. It wasn’t until 2010 that FaceTime arrived and completely changed the way people spoke on the phone. We now carry video phones in our pockets and purses.
During this pandemic, those of us that work from home find ourselves on Zoom calls for 4-8 hours each day, causing “Zoom Fatigue.” In fact, it was a casual office Zoom meeting that started the idea for this post a few months ago. We were joking about having to shower and look presentable on screen, and I alluded to Jane Jetson’s face mask for the video phone. No one had a clue as to what I was talking about, so I pulled up the video clip above and made everyone watch it.
I wonder if, when we are all allowed to go back to the office, my colleagues will still call me on Zoom for a quick question, or if they will call. I hope they will choose to walk up to my desk: I do miss that.
With the technologies of Zoom, WebEx, and Facetime, we also get Telehealth or Telemedicine. I am not the first to recognize that The Jetsons foresaw this one, too. In some regions this practice has been going on for many years, but our current situation means that a lot more of us have experienced (or soon will experience) a virtual appointment with their doctor.
In both work life and medicine – do you think we will ever go back to the old ways, or will everything become a sort of hybrid of in-person & virtual?
Moving Sidewalks
Got ’em! They just haven’t moved from the airports to our living rooms, yet.
Smart Homes
Got ’em! And people who recall “Big Brother is Watching You” from 1984 are worried. Anyone who enjoys science fiction already knows the inherent and inevitable dangers of toying with Artificial Intelligence (AI). We can only hope that the creators of our future Robot Overlords will remember Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Cities in the Sky
The Jetsons live in the Skypad Apartments in Orbit City. All the homes and businesses in Orbit City are built on columns that allow buildings to be elevated into the sky. The city is on Earth, but we never see the ground. I can find some theories based on one episode as to what exists below these columned platforms, but I offer my own here: water. The Earth in 2062 is flooded from global warming and the planet-covering ocean is polluted with trash and plastics. Any “ground” we see would be another platform that has been terraformed to be a park (all food is made of pellets that turn into food – I assume you don’t need real food to make those).
Bleak? Maybe. Intentional? Absolutely not. But pretty prescient, you have to admit!
Flying Cars
Flying Car sound can be found here – of course, if you’ve ever seen the show, you heard it in your head as soon as you saw the picture… or you are making the sound right now.
We may not all have flying cars, but we’ve been promised they are coming for some time without actually getting them. Maybe we have to wait to be living in the sky city, where they would definitely be needed, before they are a priority.
Utopia(?)
Some major and glaring problems with The Jetsons today is its lack of racial diversity and treatment towards women. The Jetsons were originally created by, and reflect the ideals of, those who held authority in 1962 America: white men. There are absolutely no discernible people of color to be found at any time – even in crowds. The show was the product of the post-war American Dream and tried to emulate that. Unfortunately, at the time, that meant excluding people of color – as they were systematically excluded from this dream (EDIT: I found this amazing article after posting this part!). In this current world of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and growing, yet still insufficient, visibility for People of Color (POC) in the media, The Jetsons are blindingly white. As science teaches, modern humans emerged dark-skinned from the cradle of civilization and we will soon evolve to be the same.
Jane Jetson’s profession is listed as Homemaker. The only socially acceptable profession for a woman in this era. As with most female characters written by men, she is a cookie-cutter character: she raises the children, is obsessed with shipping and gossip, and is overwhelmed with housework (see the Rosie video below for more on that). Jokes and gags revolve around her getting her hair done, going shopping, her bad cooking, etc. In a fully-automated, push-button world, why couldn’t she have a career? George is a “Digital Index Operator,” which means he turns a computer on and off with his finger. In the real world, we know that Jane is doing all of the work, and George is getting the credit for bringing in the money.
Elroy in his personal flying pod, being delivered to school.
In the trailer, we see Elroy (the youngest) placed in his personal pod and sent off to school. This adorable post-war American Dream Nuclear Family vision grew out of the move of the populace from the cities to the suburbs, where Father, going off to work in the Big City, could drop his child off at school on the way. What a lovely, wholesome image. What do we have, instead, in 2020? Now we have children in cages.
The Police on The Jetsons were all bumbling idiots. Harmless because of their ineptness.
Police brutality is such a systemic and global problem, that there is an entire section of the Encyclopedia Britannica devoted to it. In comedies and cartoons, the police are almost always portrayed as bumbling idiots or blowhards and in serious dramas, they are usually crooked. This has been the case since the advent of moving pictures and continues today.
When something becomes a trope, it means it’s moved beyond the agreement of the few and become an accepted, wide-spread belief.
Maybe our vision of the future has never been 20/20 (I know you were waiting for that pun). If 2020 were a person, I wouldn’t blame them for shutting down and sending coronavirus, murder hornets, jellyfish, and other plagues at us. We put too much pressure on 2020 to be the year of the future, and yet we seem, in some regards, to be reverting back to the past.
Please accept, on behalf of all of the humans, our humble apologies for expecting too much from you, 2020. Please sit back and relax with some trash TV and maybe some cookies, and call-off your plagues. We will set our sites on another future where Equality and Justice are more important than flying cars.
I hope this had served as an enjoyable distraction for you, and perhaps you learned something or were exposed to some new information. I’m sorry to end on such negative (though real) issues, so here is an Opus on the appreciation of Rosie the Robot:
The Ideal Maid
I’d love to hear your thoughts on “Promises of the Future” that you envisioned for 2020 (or earlier) that have or have not come to life. Please comment below.
*BONUS: while doing research for the dates and links, I found out about The Partridge Family 2200 A.D. for the first time. The concept was began as a 1974 studio pitch for a reboot for the original Jetson family, but 10 years in the future. Some studio exec decided, instead, to create a spin-off of the recently cancelled Partridge family. Far out!
Small Stuff 
