Douglas Coupland: New terms for new sensations

The thing about the future is that it never feels the way we thought it would. New sensations require new terms; below are a few such terms to encapsulate our present moment.

Airport-Induced Identity Dysphoria: Describes the extent to which modern travel strips the traveller of just enough sense of identity so as to create a need to purchase stickers and gift knick-knacks that bolster their sense of slightly eroded personhood: flags of the world, family crests, school and university merchandise.


Anti-Fluke: A situation in the universe in which rigid rules of action exist to prevent coincidences from happening. Given the infinite number of coincidences that could happen, very few ever actually do. The universe exists in a coincidence-hating state of anti-fluke.


Bell's Law of Telephony: No matter what technology is used, your monthly phone bill magically remains about the same size.


Blank-Collar Workers: Formerly middle-class workers who will never be middle-class again and who will never come to terms with that.


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