Morocco has been rocked in recent days by growing protests that have threatened the civic and political fabric of a country considered by many international observers as one of the most open and stable on the continent. Predominantly Gen Z-led, the demonstrations have focused on alleged political corruption and have reached a fraught inflection point.

What are the protests about?
Largely the work of a “leaderless collective called Gen Z 212,” this protest movement comes after “anger boiled over in September” following the death of eight women during childbirth at a public hospital in Agadir, said The Associated Press. 

Despite the city’s reputation as a tourist destination, residents of Agadir have “decried a lack of doctors and quality medical care” and have “likened the government to a mafia.” Demonstrators have “contrasted the flow of billions in investment toward preparation for the 2030 World Cup” to the fact that “many schools and hospitals lack funds and remain in a dire state,” said Euronews. 

Young Moroccans in particular have felt “disenfranchised by the country’s policies and international ambitions,” said Sarah Zaaimi at the Atlantic Council. The protests have “attracted support from more established movements,” including the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, which was “active during the 2011 protests that formed part of the Arab Spring,” said The New York Times. 

How has the government responded?
As the Gen Z 212 protests have “escalated and become more destructive,” the response from Morocco’s government has been “swift and brutal,” said CNN. Last week, police shot and killed three protesters in the city of Lqliaa in what Moroccan authorities said on X was an act of “legitimate self-defense.”

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said the violence in Lqliaa was “regrettable” and offered to “engage in dialogue” with movement organizers. But “calls for the prime minister’s resignation have risen to the top of demonstrators’ demands,” said Le Monde. The movement has also made a public appeal to King Mohammed VI to enact reforms.

Is this an isolated incident?
Although the specific context and demands of Gen Z 212 may be unique, the “throughline” connecting Morocco’s demonstrations to similar global movements is “clear,” said CNN. As the “latest in a string of youth-led demonstrations” around the world, said the Times, they reflect a “growing anger among younger populations over government corruption and limited economic opportunities.”

The concept of FIRE (financial independence, retire early) requires extreme saving and frugality so that participants can leave the workforce sooner than is typical. But while the increasingly popular idea sounds appealing, actually achieving it is difficult. Still, many are using a variety of methods to reduce expenses.

Background
FIRE was popularized in 1992 by “Your Money or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The book “encourages you to rethink your relationship with money so you can achieve financial independence and live a life that aligns with your goals and values,” said NerdWallet.

Since then, FIRE followers have aimed to “retire earlier than the conventional retirement age range of 65 to 70, or they may hope to gain greater financial independence,” said Investopedia. People who want to retire in their 50s, 40s or even 30s may “plan to live solely off small withdrawals from their portfolios” or “incorporate part-time work into their strategy.”

The latest
Being able to retire early is a dream for many but a reality for few. It “often requires cutting expenses to the bare minimum so you have more income to invest,” said NerdWallet. FIRE followers “could be saving 50% to 70% of their income or more, and that’s not possible for everyone.” The goal for many FIRE acolytes is to reach the point at which their investments are “large enough that they will grow to reach their FIRE number by their desired retirement date without saving another dollar.”

One way people have opted to reduce expenses is through geoarbitrage. This strategy entails “moving to regions with a lower cost of living while continuing to earn income from higher-cost areas, allowing you to save more or enhance your quality of life,” said Moneywise. Geoarbitrage took off during the pandemic, as working from home became more normalized.

The reaction
In a time when society has embraced the “grind,” especially with the growing cost of living, many prefer to “embark on a super-saving path to ditch corporate drudgery ahead of schedule and retire on [their] terms,” said Insider. Unfortunately, the “aggressive savings rate may not be realistic for some people,” said Investopedia, “especially those who are taking care of children or older parents.”

The Harvest Supermoon rises behind the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn skyline in Jersey City, New Jersey. A supermoon occurs when the moon draws nearer to Earth, making it appear bigger. November will bring the closest supermoon of the year.
Adam Gray / AP

Crime television can be bleak, often relentlessly so. Enter “cozy crime” series, which combine Etsy-friendly backdrops, quirky characters, and frequent levity to defuse some of the tension inherent in the depiction of brutality. 

‘Murder, She Wrote’ (1984-96)
The iconic mystery-of-the-week series ran for 12 seasons and remains one of the most well-known pieces of crime television in history (so much so that it’s getting a reboot with Jamie Lee Curtis). Angela Lansbury (pictured above, center) played Jessica Fletcher, a mystery novelist and amateur detective who consistently outwits the police in the implausibly violent (and fictional) Maine small town of Cabot Cove. Jessica had a “genius-level intellect for crime solving and an innate kindness,” said Paul F. Verhoeven at The Guardian. (Amazon, Apple TV+, Philo, Tubi)

‘Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries’ (2012-15)
Based on Kerry Greenwood’s novels, the show is set in 1920s Melbourne, Australia, and revolves around the adventures of well-to-do Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis). The series provides a “rare fictional example of what life can be like for women who choose not to get married and/or have children,” said Kayti Burt at Den of Geek. (Acorn TV, Amazon, Apple TV+, PBS)

‘The Afterparty’ (2022-23)
The most structurally inventive of the shows on this list, this whodunnit comedy revolves around the murder of pop star Xavier (Dave Franco) at an afterparty following his 15-year high school reunion. The gimmick is that every episode is shot in a different genre, “embracing both the pastiche and the profound,” said John Nugent at Empire. (Apple TV+)