Speculation, rumor, what ifs: Guilty pleasures for hunker downers

I am not trying to make light of the fact I have not seen a Corona extra or light beer television commercial in like forever.

They used to be ubiquitous.

You know the ones.

Every time this or that or the other does this or that or the other, a Corona gets its lime (or something like that).

I always thought it was a takeoff of It’s a Wonderful Life and the “Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings” line.

Maybe it wasn’t (regardless, I’m not looking it up as I’m saving my googling for two sentences from now).

With the expansion of the home into all things recreational and professional, minds wander… a lot.

And mine just wandered onto a web page notifying me that Corona beer production was suspended two weeks ago.

Who knew?

At one point in the recent past, I wondered if people had erroneously linked the beer to the coronavirus. According to this N.Y. Times report some evidently did and have, and not to the detriment of overall sales, either–at least in the U.S.

At the root of Corona beer brewer Grupo Modelo’s decision to temporarily halt production was the Mexican government deeming it a non-essential business.

On the heels of this announcement, Grupo Modelo, according to a story on CNN is prepared to “guarantee the supply of beer” (should the Mexican government reconsider its decision to define breweries as non-essential).

Domestic U.S. alcohol sales, by comparison, are ironically considered essential with many liquor stores maintaining daily hours of operation.

I get it

People are hunkering down at home.

We’re having virtual happy hours.

A happy hour is not as happy for me, though, as when I’m not looking at a display monitor.

One could take my propensity for not partaking in virtual happy hours combined with my not knowing Corona beer is temporarily not being produced, as evidence, I don’t get out much.

Well, I kind of do get out much. Like every day much.

I walk my dogs every day. Oops. Well, occasionally, I miss a Saturday or a Sunday or a weekday if it’s raining. It’s not me, it’s the dogs; they don’t like going out when it’s raining.

Getting out used to mean meeting with friends at local watering holes where angels, I mean, Coronas, get their wings, err limes.

So many things have transpired that we never thought in our wildest dreams could come to pass.

Part of the old normal is the same as the new normal, though.

You should have a healthy distrust of all studies you read about.

According to a March 1st story at CBS News, 38% of American beer drinkers recently expressed reservations about purchasing Corona beer.

Study results and speculation continue to substitute as hard news in both the new and old normals.

Why is that?

Because there is not enough real news to fill a 24-hour day?

No.

It’s because the news media has been practicing current events distancing for much of the past two decades.

I think I read that somewhere online some time ago so it must have some merit.