The Madness of Crowds Print

It's 2021 and humanity has been through a period of hysteria and rumor. Consider this a portrait of our species in this moment. Perplexed. Panicked. Delusional. Outraged. Gullible. Malignantly foolish. I'm reminded of the Abraham Bosse frontispiece to Hobbes' Leviathan, the body of humanity comprised of this roiled and deranged population. An hysterical crowd likely to plunge billions into buying tulip bulbs or digital art, or to rush to the town square to lynch a democratic leader doing his job. We have to forgive humanity for its foibles but it will never forgive us for ours. This is the gimlet eyed portrait we deserve. In another year, after a successful interval of competent government, when the pandemic subsides, we may see ourselves with a kinder eye. But right now, this is the picture with all its warts.