Y'all are a pretty smart, so I was curious as to your opinions. This thread will probably end in significant argument, but whatevs. Also, I know there are a lot of non-U.S. people on this forums, and I'm curious as to your outside opinion. I know Europeans (especially Russians) get a hard-on predicting scenarios for a U.S. collapse. just kidding. (except for Russians) I was having a conversation with my friend the other day, and we talked about what we thought the future of America would look like. As I discussed it, I began to realize how ridiculously pessimistic I was about the whole thing. I'm probably reading wwaaayyyyy too many post-collapse novels, but I find myself seeing little reason why America's isn't going to just look like the Balkans in 20 years. I don't particularly blame any distinct group; I just blame time and the slowly degrading effect of prosperity and wealth on a society. Also, we require so much cheap energy that I have no idea how we could possible come up with a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Its not once oil becomes depleted, just when it becomes expensive. It will tear the fabric of our society, because the whole world oil-trade system is based around supplying a thirsty U.S.. Once others consume levels near ours, it won't be sustainable. Our fault I suppose, seeing as how we told the whole world how awesome the suburban SUV lifestyle is. They wanted a piece of the pie, and low and behold their trying their damned best to look like a bunch of Americans, and there's just not enough pie for everyone. so.......whadddaya think?
Its going to be great, more green power, more people, more mixing, more tolerance, more understanding...right?
The US in 2020-2030: a smoking, shattered, radioactive wasteland after a misguided attempt at resistance against the alien forces occupying the earth, with the only pockets of meaningful civilization remaining being the vast slave camps around mineral deposits, where survivors of humanity are forced to mine every last valuable resource from the planet, at the lash of the alien overlords. My apocalyptic scenario stems from my being a sci-fi author, nothing to do with geographic origin
Oh no, the EU and (somewhat surprisingly) Russia joined in the counterattack, and suffered the same devastation. If there's hope left for humanity, it's in the jungles of South America or Southeast Asia, where survivors fled the alien holocaust.
I just hope the US, or UK for that matter, doesn't have too many more cities looking like the pictures of Detroit I saw recently. I always thought Detroit looked such a vibrant and great city when I read about it growing up in the 60s. I think a lot of big cities are going the same way, though--I mean, becoming smaller and losing their industrial infrastructure. But on the up side, perhaps smaller and friendlier communities will make for more interesting towns with people working from home, etc. Here's hoping!
I have read about this, the decay of the detroit industrial area is so famous, photographers come from all over the world to document and film the deterioration from amusing angles and fish eye perspectives.
As long as you buggers are still churning out Hollywood films and Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I don't much care beyond that. I can afford to be flippant cos I'm sure you'll all be just fine.
I get the aliens taking over the world bit..sure...but I suspect any invading horde will be so taken with the shiny brilliance of the American civilisation that they'll leave them well alone. Oh yes.
Perhaps that was the west's downfall. Instead of an armed resistance to the invasion, we should use Ben and Jerry's.
If technology keeps advancing as it does, and human stupidity remains the same, I imagine the world would be similar to the way it is shown in the novel Neuromancer where people can cybernetic implants and can jack into the net. It woudl be kind of cool and creepy at the same time.
I think that either the U.S. will eventually die, and will turn into a giant anarchy. It's kind of look like the game "Fallout 3". OR, the U.S. will still be running, but as Ellipse said, how the technology is advanced but stupidity remains. We will probably be rotting our brains from idiot boxes(t.v.'s). OR, the world will be like "The Matrix". That'd be cool yet not cool. I'd be like a kung fu master, and be fighting Mr. Smith's, and dodging bullets, and...oops, sorry got off topic.
Oh crap! I forgot how close it was to 2012 . I am so not prepared. Ok I am going to make this post slightly more on topic. Personally I think by 2020 we will have experienced our first major cyberterrorist event. All hell will have broken loose and stuff. Another major terrorist attack will also have happened. Well maybe not major as in 9/11 but either way it will be big. A hurricane named after some obscure composer from Europe will make Katrina look like a small windstorm. Meanwhile California will have experienced a massive earthquake that sent many smaller cities back to the stone age. The dam that is just a few miles west of my town will have been struck by a meteor causing structual damage beyond repair and or just you know destroy it giving us little to no time to actually evacuate... good news is I am living basicly right on the river... oh wait. Meanwhile at some point gang activity will rise in New York. The russian mob or... I dunno will once again take over the streets and four different people will have taken up the cowl and die a horrible horrible death. For the rest of the United States it will be sorta like today only you can now dial to mars with a phone that's considered outdated but would be considered awesome and amazing and borderline science fiction in today's standards. Yup. Though why anyone would want to dial to mars is beyond me. Yes this is part serious part me wanting to say "ha! I told you so" if any of this actually happens. Though in all seriousness. besides technology growing ever more awesome I think it wouldn't be to different.
in only 10-20 years, i don't see why it would 'look' any different than it does now... it doesn't look any different today than it did in 2001, or even 1991, other than having a few 'wind farms' now that weren't around then, and missing a couple of towers in nyc...
According to my brother (an environmental science major) we'll be experiencing environmental catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions; even if we went 100% green energy today it's already too late.
I mean no offense whatsoever, so please don't take it that way, but they were saying things like that 50 years ago. It's always "If we don't change X right now, Y will happen in 10 years" Then it doesn't.
I agree that the world (not just the U.S.) is facing enormous crises economically, environmentally, and politically speaking, but there is also a huge consciousness revolution going on. If you look back to fifty years ago and consider how ignorant people were in middle class America and then compare it to today, there is some reason for optimism. When people start talking all apocalyptic, I often get the feeling that they want something terrible to happen, just to bring some excitement to their humdrum little lives. Oh . . . The U.S? You guys are screwed. Ever read The Parable of the Sower? Yeah -- that. At least you have the right to bear arms. I'll be hiding up in Whitehorse somewhere behind a really big, bulletproof rock.
