Is 2023 a Tipping Point?

Scott S. Hall Editor

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Submissions are invited on the theme Exploring the History of the FCS Profession throughout 2023. Pandemic-related submissions are also welcome through 2023. View theme and submission information here.

You might be familiar with the concept of tipping point. It became better known thanks to the writing of Malcolm Gladwell. At some point, a trend reaches a point at which it really takes off, kind of like your arm when it is bent, and at the elbow the trajectory of the arm dramatically changes. The deeper we get into 2023, the more confident I feel in predicting that we are in the midst of a tipping point. Two main trends stand out to me as evidence.

The first has to do with what we can’t help but stumble upon with a little internet surfing: Artificial Intelligence (AI). As a long-time science fiction fan, my imagination quickly turns toward images of robot-roaming cityscapes and at some point AI deciding that to save humanity it must destroy it. More likely is that much of human labor will be replaced by AI and that AI-enhanced technology will improve upon how we do some things, perhaps even including our bodily functions. The field of education is facing difficult questions about student learning and how to ensure that AI doesn’t replace critical thinking, creativity, and craftmanship. Should we spend more time finding ways to prevent students from abusing AI or more time finding ways to integrate AI into learning? As rapidly as things are progressing, professionals in education-oriented fields soon will have to come to terms with these questions–and probably even more difficult questions.

This year might also be a tipping point for LGBT issues, particularly related to transgender. I see a legislative ping-pong match with an escalating back and forth policy arms race. Each swing is met with an even stronger swing; the harder one side battles the harder the other side responds. We see states creating bills addressing book banning, parental influence in schools, pronouns, athletic competition, mental health, hormonal treatments, privacy, and others. Does this trend mark a new stage of culture wars? Will we soon be looking at a country with dramatically different laws from state to state, with calls for travel bans and boycotts on every social media feed, and mass exoduses to different colored territories? Perhaps enough people will say “enough is enough,” reach out and grab that ping pong ball, tell everyone to take a breath, relax the muscles, and help us look for some common interests, middle ground, and nuanced solutions to some tricky issues. I can appreciate that such an approach is not desirable to everyone, for various reasons. Either way, that would be pretty remarkable to see in light of the way momentum has been going, and it would be a tipping point in itself.

I am not proposing anything other than my observation that this might be a very noteworthy year. If it is, I wonder what it means for family and consumer sciences? I wonder if there are ways for us to get ahead of the curve, to be players in these trends, and I wonder how we can do it when undoubtedly our body of professionals share significant disagreement on some elements of these issues. Can we have a meaningful influence on how society manages major changes, particularly in an era of deep polarization? Can we even agree on whether to push for radical change, hold onto precedence, or look for happy mediums? I wish us luck as we decide how much to observe versus participate, and how to participate when we do engage. If nothing else, let’s use this journal as a means to address these fundamental questions. Reflections for practice are always welcome.

Departments

Point of View

Scarcity vs. Abundance Inside Front Cover Lorna Wounded Head Is 2023 a Tipping Point? 3

Scott S. Hall

AAFCS . . . Modeling the Mission to Inspire a Bright Future ......................... 5

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The Alliance for Family & Consumer Sciences: Uniting to Achieve a Common Purpose 6

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