2023 Vibe Check
A final assessment on 2023 and a look ahead at the coming year
Different people have different ways to review one year. Time famously publishes its Person of the Year award which this year goes to Taylor Swift; Dictionaries choose the word of the year which includes terms like “rizz” or “hallucinate;” while news media love making end-of-year compilations to remind you of everything you forgot. But I enjoy reviewing a year by its vibes.
Every year, the news and its content were presented over the time of 365 or 366 days interestingly, with its unique features and patterns. Like the word vibes, it is very hard to describe what it is like specifically. But if I have to define it, I would describe it as a metaphor or theme.
For example, 2021 was the year of returning to the new normal, but with nobody specifying what the “normal” was. The COVID vaccine has helped give many a return to what normal felt like, but mask mandates and anti-vaxxers warped that normalcy into something new. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan reset the time clock for people in the country back to the pre-2001 days, and the January 6 Capitol riots set the country into a new normal that started ominously for the Biden presidency.
2022 was more like a roller coaster ride with ups and downs. A few experienced it with dread and pain, some others wanted to puke, but after the year ended many people thought it was not as bad as perceived at the start. The war in Ukraine, zero COVID policies, Iranian protests, overturning Roe, and the surprising midterm results. Sure, there are tragedies and disasters, but the surprises that come with them are like sudden twists and turns in the ride. It is the unexpected that became the main attraction.
Now to 2023, in my view, the year felt like a poor-quality buffet in a restaurant you have anxiously waited for days to visit. Before you went in, you were feeling some excitement, maybe a little bit of hope even. After all, 2022 treated you okay, how will 2023 hurt? But then you started indulging yourself in the meals you took. Some of the highlights you thought were better than most dishes but don’t give you a lasting impression, other dishes feel subpar or mediocre, and some really leave a stomach bug in your digestive system. In the end, you just want to get out of the restaurant and back home, hopefully taking a rest and not needing a long journey to the bathroom, That is in essence 2023.
Major events like the Wagner coup or Trump indictments are significant, but to many of us, it felt like it just happened and went. The vibes just made it easier to shrug things off and focus less on the important substance while trading it for the constant doom-scrolling kicks.
Expectation management takes a big hit this year. The worst suffering of disproportionate expectations is Ukraine, the counteroffensive during the summer did not go as well as was hoped. Now facing another winter, Western allies are becoming more hesitant in providing aid. Another area where expectations were disproportionate is in the global economy. Many expected a recession sometime during 2023, adding to a potential banking crisis between March and April, but thankfully none of that happened. Economists say we are not out of the woods yet, but the signs are clear we are not heading to economic disaster.
Tragedies make a particularly bad taste to events this year. October 7 marks a dark day in history with Israel facing the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, and subsequently a humanitarian crisis in Gaza with innocent civilians and children being in the middle of the crossfire between Hamas and the IDF. With earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, flooding in Damascus, wildfires in Maui and Canada, and heatwaves felt around the world, Mother Nature has shown herself to be unsatisfied with what is going on. Oh, and do you remember the Titan submersible?
But as bad as things look in 2023, it is nothing compared to what happens next. It seems like since 2016, every 4 years marks a new low for humanity. In 2016 we saw the evolution of Brexit and Trump disrupting politics and everyday life, in 2020 the COVID-19 virus joined the chaotic 2020 election and racial tensions and ended the year with a big cross in a Time magazine cover.
In 2024, things are rife for trouble. We have seen a preview of things to come in Ukraine, in late 2023, as the country rations and urges more military aid to less success and Russia eyes the year for a breakthrough in progress. The stalemate threat is reserved not only for Russia and Ukraine but also for Israel and Palestine. Even if a regional war does not break out, Israel’s tactics in Gaza have drawn much international scrutiny including from its strongest ally Joe Biden. The next year sees its best-case scenario with Israel stopping its large-scale military operation in Gaza and changing into more targeted tactics against Hamas, but even that comes with concerns of its own. Not to mention how can Israel secure the release of the remaining hostages who are not dead in Gaza due to Hamas or friendly fire?
But most importantly, 2024 is an election year for the entire planet. More than 4 out of eight billion people on the planet get to vote in general, presidential, or legislative elections. Of course, the status of elections can be different from country to country due to its status as a democracy or autocracy. These elections can lead to national, regional, and global impacts due to the nature of candidates and what the elections entail. I will dive into this issue more in the upcoming year since this subject merits an article of its own.
That is enough doom and gloom for a day. As a final parting gift to 2023 and expectation management for 2024, the BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri speaks for all of us. I am not showing the photo or the video, you can click the link here to see things for yourself.
Also, if you haven’t noticed, this is the final article I have written for 2023 (excluding the Memeing The World section scheduled for tomorrow). Hope you enjoy the rest of 2023, and best of luck to 2024, we all need it to keep ourselves sane!