What’s become cool during the COVID-19 pandemic? Humility, modesty and authenticity

The spread of COVID-19 has altered American culture, making our mindsets more earnest and our lifestyles more casual. Conspicuous consumption is out, and modest reflection is in.

Entertainers are broadcasting through basic webcams and sitting plainly in front of bare white walls. In late March, for example, Elton John appeared in the iHeart Living Room coronavirus benefit concert and abandoned his usual bold ensembles in favor of a plain outfit; the Rocketman’s robust voice was toned down, and his signature sparkly sunglasses were replaced by spectacles.

Such humility seems appropriate while so many are suffering from coronavirus and its economic shock waves. But I believe that something else is at play, too: successful Americans have learned from millennials to “check their privilege” and to reject blatant self-promotion.

Bruce Springsteen shared snapshots in which he looked more like a neighbor than a megastar rocker.

Vanderbilt heir and fastidious CNN newsman Anderson Cooper jokingly showed fans his lousy amateur haircut.

The naughty smirk of award-winning actor Bradley Whitford is nowhere to be seen on his Twitter account: instead of the traditional profile photo, Whitford has been posting homey snapshots of his dogs.

And while the cooler-than-thou fashion retailer Jeffrey has closed forever — taking with it the DJs who would fill its expensive boutiques with loud electronic dance music — Walmart is doing just fine.

The land of exceptionalism and bustling commerce has slowed, if only for a couple of months.

Are Americans are becoming less shallow? Or are the privileged confident enough in their savings to relax instead of pose? Is it dawning on us that our days as an empire may be coming to an end and we can finally let our hair go gray? Or are the wealthy just lying low to avoid arousing class warfare?

The only person unaffected by the cultural change is President Donald Trump, whose mask-less face flaunts its usual orange spray tan while he golfs. While many television commercials have been gently stating that “we’re all in this together,” our president has been resuming his Twitter wars.

One may admire the confidence of a public figure who forges ahead with a stance despite the protestations of his peers, but sooner or later even the most consistent person will take the feelings of others — and changing circumstances — into account.

For example, former President Ronald Reagan finally addressed the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1987, years after it spread — and even George Wallace, the stubborn and infamous former governor of Alabama, finally renounced his racist past. But President Trump just drones on like the scratched B-side of an 1980s-era record album.

Have we not, as a nation, seen past the dusty gimmicks of this faded showman?

In the past there were Republicans who understood when approaches were not working.

When then-Vice President George H.W. Bush ran for president in 1988, he sought to distance himself from the bloat of Reagan’s second term by promoting a “kinder, gentler nation.” Though Bush came from a privileged family, he sensed that a toned-down and grandfatherly approach would be more effective than showmanship when it came to winning over his enemies.

And it wasn’t just the elder Bush’s approach: he truly paid attention to matters like budget and governance.

You know — grown-up stuff.

There is an old-fashioned phrase that seems to have faded since civics courses were dropped from schools.

The phrase is “public servant.”

It is a phrase that implies that those in government should work for the common good.

But that may become a quaint notion in a land where we now simply lurch from one tweet to the next.

Jordan Barkin is a freelance writer who lives in Rock Hill. He is a former associate editor of Hearst Magazines..

This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 10:13 AM.