The Roaring Twenties hold a certain nostalgia in the collective American mindset, harkening back to the days of flappers, speakeasies, and the headiness of the economic boom that preceded the Great Depression. While most have some recollection of the period from their history books, it’s easy to lose sight of what fundamentally fuelled the age. Borne of the national tragedy and hardship of both the Spanish Flu pandemic, and the terrible losses of World War I, Americans were desperate for a return to normalcy and longed to live their lives in an at times ostentatious manner.
It is time to consider that America may be primed to enter the 21st century’s own Roaring Twenties. Eighteen months or more of social distancing (by the time herd immunity is achieved) will have created a vast and seemingly limitless well of pent-up demand to simply live and experience freedom across American society. Delayed weddings, cancelled travel, missed birthdays and graduations, and more broadly, a deeper appreciation for those things once taken for granted, have instilled a voracious desire to get out into the world and live.