Certainly not now, or even by the time election results become crystal meth clear in a few hours. But by tomorrow evening, max by Thursday noon, cold turkey will have set in for many. Yes, we have lives, livelihoods, some of us even pursue pursuits and pleasures. But this election was so addictive that the withdrawal symptoms are bound to be vicious. Being under the thrall of a months-long, hard-knuckled, carpet-bombing coverage of a political contest where candidates were no longer public servants but Marvel Comics characters, it’s understandable that even normal ‘non-political animals’ got hooked to the election drug. With election over, many are facing a vast emptiness.
It’s like every Jan 2, that’s even quieter than New Year’s Day that is significantly less giddy than New Year’s Eve night. Sure, your ‘team’ may have won (or lost), your ‘chap’ may have become PM (or not). But after the rah-rah celebrations or the deep sigh babas, there’s a disquieting dip in hype. No expert opinions. No sound barks louder than their bites. No put-downs, soul-effacing narcissism, psychotic-level sycophancy or pointless observations. The long tail of post-election coverage will continue. But let’s face it, it’s a whimper compared to that narcotic we’ve been taking all these weeks. So, let’s have another election fix fast!
