What do you think society will be like 20 years from now?

Monday 13th October, 04:56 AM JST

Latest 15 of 31 Total Comments Show All

slappayuki at 09:54 PM JST - 13th October

If things go well for us, more and more wealth will be concentrated in the hands of the top 1%. We will manage the world business and appoint politicians by funding those who will do what we want. 99% of humanity will earn enough to pay tribute and then have enough left over to survive until the next paycheck.
bamboohat at 06:32 AM JST - 14th October

2028 will be a fine year where countries try to increase their economic standing while certain groups fight to be given rights that they deserve, all the while politicians will be telling people that they understand their plight, and all they need to do is follow their plan, (which has the support of about 40% of the general population) and everything will turn out hunky dorey. meanwhile, the cubs will be saying "This is our year!"
borscht at 07:20 AM JST - 14th October

I'm hoping less consumption and more environmental awareness; more tolerance and less religion-based bigotry and intolerance; more technology and less exploitation of cheap labor. Less ideologically inspired wars and terrorism. That's what I'm hoping. Plus I'll second Bamboohat: 2028 will be the Cubs' year!

I'm guessing intolerance and nationalism and consumption will rise while everyone rushes to grab what is theirs 'By rights!' I think we're on the pendulum swing towards more xenophobia (G. W. and Aso being big pushers of that pendulum.)

Also, I think the US is slowly disintegrating: more states are agreeing to international agreements that the national gov't is refusing to sign (Calif. 'signed' the Kyoto protocol while Bush refused) and more states are making international trade agreements without the benefit of federal support - basically skirting around Bush's objections. Maybe the next president will be able to reverse the process. If the process (the break up of the US) is considered bad.
memyselfI at 09:38 AM JST - 14th October

MORE SELFISH MORE VIOLENCE MORE CEO's stealing money from poor people. MORE HOMELESS And The President of The United States George Bush's face will be on the dollar bill.
meiwaku at 10:16 AM JST - 14th October

More greed. More homeless for sure. More pressure on land as environmental and war refugees increase. Tension and possibly war over fresh water supplies. Incredible medical advances but unfortunately most poor will be excluded. Overall, not too good for most I guess.
kavikahi at 12:32 PM JST - 14th October

Whose society is in question?

Society needs to prove its value to be considered a requirement to the future.
tkoind2 at 02:34 PM JST - 14th October

Globalization will have made labor a commodity and resulted in a global drop in worker income and the creation of a massive working poor population globally. Damage to then environment will have resulted in disastrous flooding of most coastal cities and the mass migration of millions to inland regions. The resulting economic catastrophe will leave billions under or unemployed and struggling for food. Warming will have caused broad desertfication of the central US and Europe causing more food shortages globally.

The political response to the above will be greater control by governments claiming to be democratic while practicing authoritarian violations of movement, privacy and once protected civil liberties. Peak oil will have forced moves to other energy forms, but global transportation costs will localize production of essential products and limite movement of people around the world other than the very wealthy.
tclh at 03:04 PM JST - 14th October

The world has just started to rebuild after nuclear exchanges between super powers?
nutsagain at 03:57 PM JST - 14th October

So what'll be different? Apart from technology and much less water, not much I'd say. Tribal warfare is what we excel at and have been doing since day one. Muslims will still be intolerant and Afghanistan will still be wracked violence, warlords blasting holes in each other from one side of the country to the other.

Pakistan will still be a basket case and Russia will be the new world power. So why's that Nuts? Because Putin said by 2010 they would be. They have the resources, a resurgent military and growing economy, intelligence and manpower. Europe will be intimidated by the bear like never before. Move over world power USA, Wall street brought you down. Russia is the new kid on the block. Scary times...
greensatindress at 04:30 PM JST - 14th October

In the future, Korea, Japan & the U.S. will be controlled by China. Chinese will be the dominated language, English second. Probably half---if not more--of Canada & the States will become Chinese territories. The other half...territories of India. Throw some of that land to Russia too. Who knows what will happen to Europe? Possible the decendants of all those immigrants to the States/Canada will return. Isreal and some Middle Eastern countries will have killed each other off. There will be a new breed of humans: Arabic + Chinese, Russian + Chinese, Indian + Chinese etc. White people will probably cease to exist. Things will also start to get louder and louder b/c the ability to hear will slowly decrease. Maybe the last hope will be Africa. Meanwhile Australia & New Zea. will keep on having their beer and playing rugby like nothing has happened.
Sarge at 04:39 PM JST - 14th October

I think Wall Street is going to bounce back and the almighty U.S. dollar will reign supreme along with U.S. culture.

Either that or there will be a nuclear war and the cockroaches will reign supreme.
Nippon5 at 06:15 PM JST - 14th October

I guess you have to ask will society be here in 20 years before you can ask how it will be..
mareo2 at 02:24 AM JST - 15th October

Maybe in 20 years, the LDP is going to manage the economy so bad, that people is going to riot, but is going to be to late for avoid really painful measures and then the ultra-rightwingers finally are going to make a coup de etat for keep peace on the streets. Then J change the constitution, expand the SDF, build 200 nukes and blame some minority/ies and/or foreigners for all the problems. BTW we are going to see robots become common here, but a social rejection to cibernetic implants because is not natural (just like low transplants donors and plastic surgery). But at the same time we are going to se more foreigners than before, the kind that build shanty towns and some people in black vans is going to say things like "Some day we need to sorround them and burn them all". Internet replace TVs like the main source of entertaiment and news with NHK nocking our doors asking for our donation and say that if we have internet we have to pay.
UnagiDon at 03:48 AM JST - 15th October

I predict that in 20 years none of the predictions made here will be true, including this one.
blaze524 at 04:25 AM JST - 15th October

UnagiDon, that's some wacky paradox you got going there...=)