The case for optimism
Winding down an eventful 2022 with HIS optimistic wishes for the New Year ahead
Greetings people from space!
A few reminders before we jump in…
The opinions below are my lived space experience and therefore should not be taken seriously, as truth, or shared with meaningful conviction
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🗞 THE NEWSSTAND
As the year winds down, we say goodbye to legendary news anchor Barbara Walters known for her success as a female in a male-dominated industry and her courage to ask the tough questions.
The Catholic church and community mourn the loss of a more controversial figure today with the death of former Pope Benedict XVI who broke precedent ten years ago by stepping down from the papacy in response to the schism in the church for its decades of covering up child sex abuse.
This past week thousands of travelers spent their final days stranded in airports across the country with winter storms pummeling much of the country, canceling thousands of flights and raising questions about one airline in particular.
The storms sadly killed over 60 people around the country, particularly devastating Buffalo, New York. Meanwhile in Texas, Gov. Abbott sent a bus of migrants to be left in the cold outside of VP Harris's house on Christmas Eve in a political maneuver that even the Grinch would find wicked.
In Ukraine, the country braces for its long winter ahead as war rages on, with President Zelensky addressing Congress this past week thanking the US for support in its effort to defend itself against Russian invasion—received a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle.
Markets face their own winter as investors wind down the end of the worst year for the S&P 500 since 2008. Not to mention the ‘crypto winter’ which has begun to look more like a crypto blizzard.
Yet as 2022 winds down, the case for optimism in 2023 should warm up you and your family as you hopefully gather together to ring in the New Year!
🎙 FIRESIDE CHAT
If 2022 taught us anything, it’s that while the future is unpredictable, our collective values and determination can help build a better one. A future free from the grips of false prophets.
The past ten years saw a fanatical societal response in politics, business, and technology to messianic figures sent to build a future that looked more like our past. But this year’s winter solstice may have marked the beginning of the end for this plague on Western society.
Headlines showcased a legal system ready to hold these ‘strongmen’ and ‘visionaries’ accountable for their deception of millions with a more optimistic path ahead for their acolytes and critics alike.
But let’s look back at how we got here…
Collective action and determination proved stronger than one man’s desire to grow his political influence when Ukrainian resistance slowed down Vladimir Putin and Russian forces and prevented a full-scale takeover of the country.
World leaders followed with a united front enacting sanctions against Russia and its oligarchs as well as providing Ukraine with billions of dollars of military aid, further impeding Putin’s war efforts.
After nine months of fighting not only does Putin appear incapable of taking the capital Kyiv or large portions of the country, he has tarnished his reputation and transformed Russia into a pariah state.
Ironically, Putin’s military campaign has reinforced US influence and democratic values across Europe and other continents.
The court of public opinion handed tech billionaire and the world’s loudest troll, Elon Musk, a blow this year following his purchase of Twitter.
In October, when Musk was legally forced to take over the company, he of course did so by trolling his critics in an authoritarian fashion, spreading baseless conspiracies, firing employees who corrected his erroneous claims, and suspending the accounts of journalists who reported on his banning of an account known for sharing his private jet whereabouts. [Note: @elonjet is now found on Mastodon]
Not only has the popularity of the platform soured but so too has public sentiment toward Musk himself. When comedian Dave Chappelle invited Musk on stage in San Francisco expecting a standing ovation he instead was greeted with 10 straight minutes of booing.
Whether or not Musk finds his replacement and steps down, is to be determined. But one thing is for sure, his actions have cost shareholders billions of dollars, driving Tesla stock down 58% since taking over Twitter.
If someone were to create a 2020 style-meme it would look something like this…
The court of law or opinion has not been favorable to former President Trump as he faces a myriad of legal troubles and dwindling influence in the Republican Party.
On a late summer evening, the FBI raided former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in South Florida in search of classified documents stolen from the White House. The raid turned up more than 100 documents, resulting in Attorney General Merrick Garland naming a special counsel to oversee a criminal investigation on Trump.
In November, when the expected ‘red wave’ never came, right-wing pundits and party members began to point the finger at Donald Trump for the egregiously bad candidates he endorsed during the midterms, further hindering his influence over the party.
In Trumpian fashion, he still announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race despite growing calls for him to fade away. He proceeded this by inviting anti-semitic rapper Ye and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes to dinner at his Mar-a-Lago residence, drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle.
The very next week he called for the termination of the Constitution on his Truth Social and days later a jury found The Trump Organization guilty of tax fraud and other crimes.
Then, as if the man couldn’t look any less strong he came out with his most bizarre and desperate pleas for attention yet, launching an NFT collection to raise money, showcasing himself in a series of images posing as a cowboy, fighter pilot, and other machismo characters.
The man has been up against the ropes many times before and somehow society has allowed him to bounce right back, but it seems that with his many legal woes and waning popularity he might be a setup for a knockout punch in 2023.
Falsehoods and conspiracies can eventually get you exposed, arrested, or better yet fined billions of dollars. At least that was the case when Alex Jones was fined $1 billion, for his conspiracy theories and false claims the Sandy Hook shootings and its 20 dead children and school staff were actors. The conviction brought justice to the families of the victims who suffered the most horrible loss that dreadful December day.
While mass shootings in schools and other public places still plague our society we slowly make progress toward gun reform with public support on the rise.
Deception in the digital house of cards known as crypto may have hit its peak this November when decentralized crypto exchange FTX announced its bankruptcy due to liquidity problems.
What followed was an even bigger blow to the crypto market, when its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, aka SBF, once hailed by journalists for his ‘effective altruism’, was exposed for his greed and illegal business practices. SBF was arrested at his Bahamas residence and faces criminal charges as he awaits trial for defrauding millions.
And of course this year we saw the sentencing of Silicon Valley ‘miracle worker’ Elizabeth Holmes, who was charged with four counts of fraud for deceiving investors in her company Theranos.
Both SBF and Holmes who once cozied up to politicians and business elites saw their fall from grace in what hopefully will be the beginning to the end of Silicon Valley savior syndrome.
If you were to close the book at this chapter you might mistakenly conclude the world is filled with cheats, liars, and con artists who are leading us all toward despair. But despite decades-high inflation, warfare, and megadroughts, when you dig beneath the surface there are plenty of indicators of progress ahead.
The case for optimism is there. For one, the world is beginning to sour on the “strongman” pathos. Despite the bravado of these ‘visionaries’, in practice, their ego blinds them to their weaknesses and the values that unite society have defeated them on the political and cultural battlefield.
When we show up as a collective force we are able to build bridges, defeat enemies, and create a better world together.
Momentum for combatting climate change in the US grew this year with the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, allocating $369 billion to cut emissions and build clean energy, while scientists made a historical breakthrough in nuclear fusion that could change the way we consume energy forever.
Internationally, COP27 negotiators reached a historic deal to establish a fund for vulnerable countries that are subject to the impact of climate change. In Iceland, the world’s largest and most powerful carbon-capture facility opened, removing 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
US pharmaceutical companies developed the first antiviral pill to reduce complications for COVID-19 patients, as well as developed updated booster vaccines to new variants.
Furthermore, President Biden signed bipartisan laws protecting same-sex marriage, granting pay raises to military members and families, funding Ukrainian and Taiwan defense, enacting the toughest gun laws in 30 years, and passing The Electoral Count Reform Act to revise the 1887 Electoral Count Act to make clear the vice president cannot discount electoral votes.
In sum, there was a lot to celebrate in 2022 and even more to look forward to in 2023.
As a wise man once said, “there’s no straight line to progress” (Barack Obama).
Happy New Year!
🎧 2022 MIXTAPE
Here are a few of HIS favorites to listen to as you close out 2022 and ring in 2023.
Album of the Year: This long-awaited fifth-studio album from rapper Kendrick Lamar did not disappoint earning awards and nominations for Best Album of the Year.
Song of the Year: Rapper Future knew what he was doing when he invited Drake to contribute to his single “Wait For U” earning the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
Podcast of the Year: This comical duo made up of tech journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway brings witty and comical insight into the world of tech, politics, and business every Tuesday and Friday.
Track to ring in the New Year: Jamie xx is sure to grant a house banger every few years and this year is no different. Throw on this track as you ring in the New Year and let’s get ready to do it again!
🌠 NEW YEAR’S WISH LIST
And finally is what I know you’ve all been waiting for HIS wishes for the year ahead 🤪
Western leaders are able to help negotiate an offramp to end the war in Ukraine
Inflation cools and the US economy is able to find a soft landing earlier than expected
Social media becomes less toxic as we see the rise of new media forms (Mastodon, Post, etc.)
Trump is finally convicted for one of his many legal troubles
Dobbs backlash increases momentum for women's rights across the states
Climate progress becomes ubiquitous rather than a political talking point
Investors shift attention to innovation for impact versus shady ‘decentralized’ networks and futile art projects
The metaverse evolves from a cyber-nerd utopian 3D world to more utilitarian and exciting applications
Advancements in AI begin to solve real-world problems in science, markets, and healthcare
A healthy and prosperous year for my family and friends!