If you’re a fan of night-time television dramas, you might recall a series on ABC named Revenge. Vaguely inspired by a famous nineteenth-century novel by Alexander Dumas (The Count of Monte Cristo ,1844), the series premiered in 2011 and ran successfully for four seasons. As its title indicates, the story was about a young woman who shows up as a new resident in an affluent community in the Hamptons on Long Island to exact her revenge on families who had wronged her 20 years earlier. It was a very popular show with lots of intrigue and suspense, enhanced by moody, menacing moments on misty, wind-swept beaches. The series finale in May, 2015, was watched by 4.8 million viewers. Obviously, people just loved watching a vindictive character trying to get even.

     Considering the political dramas playing out on national reality TV every day, seems American viewers still do. Revenge is in the air and everyone feels wronged or affronted by someone or something. Anger and frustration — over politics, war, Covid, the economy, the climate, racial bigotry, crime, religion —has been building for years now, and at this point, has turned us all into some variation of an angry mob in our own heads. We are determined to exact retribution. 

     Enter “revenge living.” In case you haven’t heard of it, this is a current phenomenon being cited and studied by consumer analysts, cultural commentators, and psychologists and it describes an en-masse societal response to the hardships and inequities of the Covid epidemic. After three years of various degrees of shut-downs across the Country, people are not only celebrating the suspension of all Covid restrictions, but they are lashing out with a vengeance on the loneliness and isolation those restrictions cost them. This determination to get “revenge” on Covid has produced some irrational behaviors and amusing incongruities. 

     For example, a recent Bloomberg News reported that, although chocolate prices are rising considerably, the demand is also going up. Purchases of chocolate are expected to reach almost $26 billion this year. Evidently, buying is up thanks to the phenomenon known as “revenge living.” according to Carl Quash, an analyst at Euromonitor,  (“As Prices rise, so does demand,” Bloomberg News, 7/11/23). It sounds counterintuitive, given headlines of an inflationary economy, but spending in almost every segment is up. Even those who are personally feeling the pinch in the cost of everyday necessities, groceries-gas-rent, won’t hesitate to splurge on luxuries large and small. 

     The cruise industry, which was hit hard during Covid, is enjoying not only a robust renewal, but bookings that far out-pace pre-Covid levels. New ships and expanded itineraries have become available so fast that some international ports have resorted to restricting dockings. Likewise, in spite of crew shortages, outrageous performance delays, and airfares that are roughly 50% higher than last year, airlines and airports are reporting record traffic. The TSA reported screening over 2.8 million people on the Friday before July 4th, more than the previous high for Thanksgiving in 2019. AAA expected 50.7 million travelers to drive 50 miles or more for the July holiday, even with higher gasoline prices, outpacing a previous pandemic record of 49 million in 2019. We are in the midst of “revenge travel” and no one expects this wave to slow down until after Labor Day. 

     And then there’s revenge shopping. Malls, or at least brick-and-mortar stores, are back while trucking, shipping, and on-line shopping are decidedly down. People want to go out. They were cooped up for so long and forced to live so much of their lives on line that now, with the opportunity to actually visit a store, they are eager to try on clothes or to look at and feel a purchase before buying it. The same with restaurants. We have all discovered the convenience of curbside pick-up of our favorite dishes, and that is a convenience that is probably here to stay, but there is still something special about getting together with family and friends in a favorite eatery. Restaurant dining is way up, movie theatre attendance is up (especially now with the Barbie film), and people are giving Covid its comeuppance by daring to go out and about and enjoy themselves. 

     Everyone is on the move, and I can certainly attest to that. We have suddenly had an unusual number of visitors this year so far, none of whom we have seen in over three years. And, after having been virtually nowhere for three years ourselves, we have made two international trips and one larger domestic trip so far this year with another planned in the late fall. (Yes, we finally got Covid in New Zealand in February, but that’s beside the point.)  It is all understandable: the loneliness, the alienation, the isolation that Covid engendered was difficult, if not devastating, for many, and this kind of break-out retribution is proportionately in line with the necessary compensation and inherent justification of our collective revenge. 

    Yet, as I write this, I can’t help but feel that all this is against the backdrop of Mother Nature’s revenge for this, our summer of discontent.  Temperatures in San Antonio have been  over 100 degrees for over 21 days now, a record here along with those being set all over America and the world. Mother Nature is not happy. She has been ignored and discounted for so long and she is now exacting her own revenge. We need to pay attention. 

     “Revenge is best served up cold,” goes the familiar saying, but Mother Nature is serving it up hot. This may be the greatest example of “revenge living” in 2023.