Chicanonautica: 2020 is Coming to an End!

by Ernest Hogan

Is it too early to start saying goodbye to 2020? For me the Holidaze starts with a Thanksgiving/anniversary/birthday traffic jam. December is usually a weird blur. This year is even more so. It started out apocalyptic and just got worse.

And suddenly . . . it was all COVID-19 and quarantine. We all looked like masked bandidos. Businesses shut down. The economy crashed. The election raged on.

And so did life. Emily and I managed some socially distanced road trips. Con mucho cuidado. We did have her 99 year-old mother with us.

And I kept on writing. And publishing. And more. Before it started, I never even heard of Zoom. And strangely enough, the Chicano sci-fi biz is thriving in the pandemic, and the political turmoil only helps. Visions of alternate realities are in demand. High Aztech still sells. It encourages my twisted optimism.

After all, Trump lost, even though he thinks he can change it through denial and delusion, but sooner or later, reality bites everybody on the ass--including you, Señor Presidente.

It is disturbing that a lot Americans still think that his being in charge is a good idea. There are a lot of pendejos out there. Only I don’t believe in giving up and letting them win.

There is a chance that 2021 will be worse than 2020, but we've been singing this worst-year-ever song for a few years now. I think it’s been going on since about 2016 . . . We should do what we can to buck this trend, even reverse it. Like I said, twisted optimism.

After all, in my travels, I’m happy to report that I’ve found Mexican food—and La Cultura—everywhere, even in places like Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. The Global Barrio is expanding, which is a good thing.

Ernest Hogan is working on his novel, and sending out stories, and creating the future of Chicano Science Fiction.