Calling out BS

The world is in revolt. Not physically, for the most part (though we all know there are exceptions), but socially and culturally. Some of this can be traced to the disruptions of COVID-19 and the unexpected opportunity many of us had to slow down, contemplate, and rethink all aspects of our lives—from our jobs, lifestyles, and childrearing priorities to how we want the world around us to function.

Pain points that, for the most part, had simmered just beneath the surface—including racial, economic, and gender injustices and the potentially cataclysmic threat of climate change—erupted and led many people, finally, to act. One result we have seen—and will see more of in 2023—is a pushback against the current balances of power and a rethinking of the cornerstones of modern life. We are questioning everything.

In the work world, employees (younger ones, especially) refuse to make the sacrifices earlier generations considered standard. Long hours, underpaid or even some unpaid labor, high-stress working conditions? No thanks. Looming recession or not, this is an era of lying flat, quiet quitting, and calls to “act your wage.

” The notion that worker drones should devote their lives to pumping up the profits of corporate executives and investors is increasingly less accepted at a time when spending decades climbing the corporate ladder to grasp the golden ring (or watch) at journey’s end is no longer on offer. FIVE TRENDS FOR 2023: RETHINKING EVERYTHING 13 In the U.S.

especially, people are also questioning the value of a college degree. A survey of American parents conducted by Gallup found that 46 percent hoped their children would do something other than attend college after graduating from high school. This correlates with continued declines in college enrollment.

Now that people no longer blindly accept the traditional tenets of work and the value of higher education, they’re also questioning the system these things underpin: capitalism. This economic system that took hold in Europe in the early 19th century and spread outward is now being cited as a cause of all manner of ills, from climate change and eco-destruction to economic inequities and the surge in mental health disorders. A 2020 study by Pew Research found that just 4 in 10 Americans aged 18–29 hold a positive view of capitalism.

Globally, a 2019 survey by Edelman found that 56 percent of respondents agree that capitalism, as it exists today, does more harm than good in the world. And even as more of the world leans toward authoritarianism, people in hyperconservative cultures are rising up against rulers and systems of government whose tight grip on the populaces is now regarded as intolerable. We’re seeing this in Iran and Myanmar, among other places.

In fact, civil unrest is on the rise globally, with U.K.-based consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft citing an increased risk in 101 of 198 countries monitored.

In 2023, we’ll see more repudiation of facets of life once considered sacrosanct. One on our radar: the pushback against car culture. The carfree movement is revving up as more people question why the world’s urban areas prioritize vehicles over pedestrians and quality of life.

Signs of the times: the creation of car-free pedestrian zones in cities worldwide, new technologies to limit car speeds, proposals to discourage purchases of mega-sized vehicles, and the increasing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters. There’s even a War on Cars podcast..