The Bloomberg wire service tossed a feature onto the recommended reading list last week. It told of the struggles, and rewards, of young people who have made "life changes" during the pandemic.
It seems that many 20- and 30-somethings have gone from unaware and uninspired end-users of services to something more real. Instead of the usual sterile experience with life (meat comes from ... the store, right?) they've been made to take notice of the world and how it works. And they are, apparently, enjoying it.
Bloomberg's reporter found some young people who are raising their own pigs and chickens. For meat and eggs. The DIY stores like Home Depot and Lowe's are sold out of canning equipment. Breadmakers are hard to keep in stock at Walmart.
Gardening is apparently "in" now:
"Just as victory gardeners supplemented rations and boosted morale during the World Wars, the DIYers of coronavirus are facing quarantines and shortages with a mix of survivalist bravado and self-expression. Many are skipping the usual retailers, and instead turning to recycled goods, small businesses or individuals for their needs."
More people are beekeeping. Small-batch pickles and homemade soap are all the rage. Tractor Supply said its sales went up 35 percent last quarter. And, of course, the people new to all this take pictures of themselves doing it, and post them on social media.
And what do they call themselves, these people raising chickens, shelling peas and patching jeans?
They're hipsters.
Amazing. About 30 years ago, Mawmaw would have just called them regular folks.