Going “Goblin Mode”

Oxford English Dictionary has named its word of the year for 2022: “Goblin Mode”. 

The official definition is: “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”.

So have you ever gone “Goblin Mode”? Is there merit in being indulgent and selfish during years of a global pandemic, or should shame accompany the Goblin lifestyle? 

Professor Marguerite Johnson is a Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Newcastle, and joined 2SER Breakfast’s Jack Gembitsky to unpack why people are going Goblin, and the literary and folktale stories that underpin this new concept.