Look to the correct misconceptions and exaggerated fears of a new decade. Nick Gillespie (Nick Gillespie) says that the avian flu and will be Y2K (problem with the computer in 2000) of the new decade.
Several previous decades were just as dismal as the past and which, fortunately, resulted in encouraging notes (by the way, the calendar purists who believe that the decade really starts from 2001 to 2010, you are part of the problem). Disputed elections, international terrorism, more explosions bubbles than on New Year's show Velka' Lawrence (Lawrence Welk). We really went through the computer goes on the 2000th year, avian influenza and the continued increase in the saggy pants?
There was something more serious, that was not the case in the past decade (another indicator of aimless decade: in this period does not appear no common name). It was one of the worst decades for stocks, the U.S. mired in two endless wars and heavy, the real total federal spending increased by more than 100%, unemployment is at double-digit figures, and the second time in 10 years, the government is preparing to intervene in the system thoroughly health (this time not only for free). The biggest danger to long-term economic growth and, hence, living standards, a failure to understand where does the public sector and the private begins. It is hard to avoid the feeling that sinking, the state-controlled GM could become a prototype of the American response Lada.
First of all, our problem lies in the fact that we spent too much time and energy to fight the Phantom Menace, for instance with the ideas that vaccination causes autism in children, cash machines with a menu in Spanish threaten national sovereignty and common among athletes steroids mess up a record number of fans attending the Higher baseball league. All of these critically important issues deserve a few Congressional hearings, while should have been simply washed away, as an antibacterial hand gel.
For such a sad parting gift by the end of this dark first decade of the 21 st century, so corrupt that the Boston Red Sox trouble to win not one but two World Series, we can thank the failed suicide Farukh Ubdulmutallaba Umar (Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab) for what he took we have the inalienable right to use the bathroom closest to the height of 30,000 feet. Indeed, we can only wait for the Minister of National Security Directive Janet Napolitano (Janet Napolitano) that all private pilots will now have to be a Commandos as a condition for flight experience.
Although the bomb in his underwear Abdulmutallaba on the way from Amsterdam to Detroit did not explode, his unsuccessful attempt (thanks to the heroic actions of passengers) sparked one of the most common and overblown worries of the past decade, which lies in the fact that terrorist acts have become the "new norm" and daily phenomenon in the United States.
John Mueller (John Mueller), a political scientist at Ohio State wrote that such fears are wrong, because their roots lie very deep. "The likelihood that a person living outside the zone of hostilities, will be killed by terrorists during the eighty-year life, is about 1:80000," Mueller wrote in the American Interest in 2008. "For comparison, the chances of perishing in a car crash over the same period of time equal to 1:80. Well, rational analysis should never interfere with strong feelings.
What, then, would be hysterical fears in the coming decade? By definition, these concerns must be both shocking and plausible enough to convince politicians, stars, benefactors of mankind, the leaders of industry and media tycoons in the fact that our society is hanging by a thread.
A classic example back in the 1980s, when Tipper Gore (Tipper Gore), the future wife of Senator Al Gore (Al Gore), which helped open Parents Music Resource Center, asked the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, with the important issue of sexual, violent and occult imagery in pop music. Mrs. Gore said in his best selling book (now it is hard to find), 1987 "Psychology of the growing child and indecency of society:" With satanic symbols at concert venues, and album covers, such as the Ozzy Osbourne (Ozzy Osbourne), other heavy metal band convince teenagers to what one expert called "the cult of the eighties. Many children are involved in experiments with satanic games and become obsessed with it.
Perhaps only through the intervention of Gorov we represent a country which is struggling with a tenacious grip of Beelzebub, and with the heavy metal band Ronnie James Dio, which should add, sometimes seem preferable to Ben Bernarke and Timothy Geithner.
Here's a list of probable panic in 2010, some of which are already flourishing.
China is ready to eat our lunch
There are not many things that are thrown in the sweat of fear higher strata of Americans, one of these is the idea that the less-developed nation is rapidly moving towards economic dominance. In the late 1980s there was obviously an understanding that the Japanese government subsidized, super-hierarchical and tightly intergrirovannye mega-corporations is clearly superior to its American copy. A large number of bestsellers, such as "Rising Sun" and movies such as "Gung Ho!" Wanted to outdo their American dream. Such fears have collapsed along with the Japanese economy in the 90s, which still pull out of the "lost decade", which lasts for almost 20 years.
You can expect a repetition of history, this time with China in the lead role. Holding the exchange rate low, they tied her to the dollar, and, finally, that the Chinese "thrown to the work of hundreds of thousands or even more than Americans," - said Sen. Charles Schumer (Charles Schumer), calling for a trade war. After several quarters of low or nonexistent growth, be prepared to calls for the exile of dissent and individualism in business, which will take place up until such time as the Chinese government does not make a mistake. If history is any guide, these events are already in the pipeline.
Peak oil production will keep growing
You do not need to be a supporter of global warming, to assume a situation where the world's oil finally runs out, that would raise the price of oil to unprecedented heights, marking the beginning of a glorious era in which energy will be produced by running in a hamster wheel, or using other renewable sources. Conservatives who advocate energy independence (for example, Sarah Palin (Sarah Palin) from the former government) also supported the idea of "peak oil", that is a point at which oil reserves are in the phase of irreversible decline, and this means that the increase domestic production is only politically possible.
It's funny that peak oil is predicted on a regular basis from decade to decade, but something always prevented: the opening of new wells, the fall in prices due to economic shocks, new technology to extract more fuel from fewer resources. Look at the new oil panic in the moment when the world economy recovers and demand is growing again. And after a gasoline rose to $ 4 per gallon, before falling again to $ 2.50.
All that can be invented - has already been invented
A new Zogby poll shows that one third of Americans believe that in 2010 svershatsya great technological achievements. Who was not disappointed by the lack of jetpacks and dog racing tracks, as on "The Jetsons"? iPhone came out 3 years ago, and since nothing new was invented, right?
When we can not complain that the pace of innovation is too fast and in the future it will cause a shock, we love to complain about what has already passed the years since, when emerged something radically new in the world. Given that the first big leap into the Internet, networked computers, and electronic commerce have launched more than 10 years ago, we are quite prepared for the constantly renewed panic before, that we live in the Middle Ages, and we need innovation in order to get out of recession and never go back to that stage.
Mission accomplished: The war against boys
There was not a decade without any fuss about changing gender roles. Typically, the bulk of fears that the boys are pampered dandies. In the 1950s feminist opponents decried "momizm", which means the household having a pants monster, formerly known as Mom.
Over the last decade wise observers have looked past the courtrooms and legislatures, while continuing to promote the idea that men still rule the world. Instead, they were worried about the prospects for reducing the boys, who are badly in school, got into the police station or that the percentage of unemployment among men than among women. Not surprisingly, they were under a lot of medical care, and diagnosis sounded like attention deficit and disorder. (Who can concentrate when the future is bleak and must report to zhinschinoy?) Many colleges have recognized that they observe a positive reaction after pumping Y chromosome. This is only a matter of time before the Very Serious People will raise the question of what we can do with this dangerous and endangered species.
We must remove the bubble of higher education
Forget about all the disturbances discussed in the last decade, that college was a cruel hoax, which was created for the impoverished lower classes, so that afterwards they worked barista (making coffee). Forget everything you've heard of "Generation after generation," those poor college graduates who come from the university with a crushing debt that keeps them away from the American dream known as the mortgage - can not afford it. (Forget also that the typical higher education will hang debt of $ 23200, get ready for the amount between $ 200,000 and $ 1 million. Or more for a career and a diploma). Forget about the fact that only 53% of college students were released after 6 years after the start of school.
In this decade are strong fears that the admission to the college will become a bottomless tank. Especially to increase the price of stronger educational programs (thanks to a massive influx of students) and will go up, as the cost of health care. Undoubtedly, the number of students in community colleges will increase, but the current release has nothing to do. How can we compete with China (see above) and other developing nations, if the next generation does not graduate, and three semesters of advanced mathematics, does not receive sufficient engineering knowledge to construct an infinite number of bridges in the future? And as our children will move forward if they are right now will not receive post-secondary education?
Why children warns of sex?
At least with the 1920s the older generation has consistently worried about the possibility for the younger generations to have sex not only more likely than older ones, but also that they enjoy them more. Now, prepare yourself for the opposite. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute and other resources to conduct such research, older students less interested in the opposite sex, pregnancy rates declining since the 1990s. Regardless of what is the cause of a decline, the consistency of social and health services close to reality, since no one hides the true cost of health care reform and a record budget deficit, it all cools ardor of lovers, makes us think about who will pay for baby boom.
Of course, hardly the above list is not exhaustive. For example, it is difficult to imagine that we live 10 years without a conference at the White House on the deteriorating state of culture, some fatal, but attractive species of mammals are identified as endangered even though their population will grow, and we suddenly recognize that our basic common culture is under threat of failure to perceive The Brady Bunch in the training programs, and viruses, or grow, or disappear with alarming frequency.
The important point is that such non-standard and overblown fears of distracting us from what is really important. And this is really bad, if we're going to live another decade, like the past.
The Wall Street Journal
