Food Riots & Tax Rebellions by 2012

[Daradon]

I should clarify by I'm not necessarily predicting or preaching the end of the world our humankind or anything like that. Only that we will see a fundamental shift in our lifestyle, even in (perhaps especially in) the western world. There will be scarcity and problems we reserve for the second and third worlds. There will be riots and perhaps revolutions. Attempts at them for sure.

How we deal with those will decide if it grows into larger ecological, humanitarian, and military problems.

To say this will happen in the next four years is silly. But I could see serious cracks appearing in 30 years. With serious problems showing around 50+.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I don't think things will get that bad that quick. Almost seems like another shot to try an pin some significance to the year 2012.

And yes, his particular arguments and fears are pretty silly.

But the way pollution, resource scarcity, and population is going we are headed for this some day. I really doubt our technology, green shift, or shift towards caring for others will help us in time. It's a snowball that is getting bigger quick, and the full extent of our current situation isn't reported in the mainstream.

We need drastic changes in the way we do things now and no one seems to be prepared to do that. Greed still runs and rules. Both in the halls of power (government and corporate), and with humanity as a whole.

We will see some of these problems and a HUGE lifestyle shift within 50 years. Guaranteed. Whether we will be up to the challenge, or it will cause larger and greater wars and conflict will remain to be seen.

He's definitely angling for the kooks with the 2012 number

We will definitely have a huge lifestyle shift in the next 50 years. We've had a massive lifestyle shift from 1958. And the people living in 1958 didn't live like their parents did in 1908.

There are big problems in the world, and some amount of hysteria about the economy right now, but there have always been problems and there always will be. It's not all going to come crashing down around us.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

There are big problems in the world, and some amount of hysteria about the economy right now, but there have always been problems and there always will be. It's not all going to come crashing down around us.

I hope not. Like you said, things do shift, that is part of life.

And there were problems to think about before like nuclear war and such where it COULD happen, but we were able to be sane enough to make sure it didn't.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I should clarify by I'm not necessarily predicting or preaching the end of the world our humankind or anything like that. Only that we will see a fundamental shift in our lifestyle, even in (perhaps especially in) the western world. There will be scarcity and problems we reserve for the second and third worlds. There will be riots and perhaps revolutions. Attempts at them for sure.

How we deal with those will decide if it grows into larger ecological, humanitarian, and military problems.

To say this will happen in the next four years is silly. But I could see serious cracks appearing in 30 years. With serious problems showing around 50+.

No one can predict or see anything meaningful in 30, 40 or 50 years. Too much stuff goes on. Doomsday soothsayers have been wrong for millennia, I have no doubt they will continue to be wrong.

Anything could happen. I just had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Frank Plummer, one of Canada's top infectious disease experts. The things he was telling me about the Spanish flu and the possibility of another similar occurence from the cross-over of FN51 avian flu was pretty terrifing. Just got to keep on living life.

[Nancy]

I think, rather than filling my basement full of staples that might go mouldy, I'll just focus on porking myself up to 600 or 700 lbs. I was watching this show last night and apparently it will take 2 or 3 years to lose that kind of weight.

Come to think of it, I think most American's are already in pretty good shape to handle a 2 or 3 year famine.

Nothing to worry about.

[Skyceman]

I had not heard of this guy until today but after digging around he seems to have made some surprising predictions on events. Is it fair to say that his recent prediction (now almost half-way into it) is looking more likely or not at all?

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Skyceman

I had not heard of this guy until today but after digging around he seems to have made some surprising predictions on events. Is it fair to say that his recent prediction (now almost half-way into it) is looking more likely or not at all?

I guess you'd better get your baseball bat and guns warmed up.

Me? I won't bother because it won't be happening. The moment of maximum crisis has already passed.

Cowperson

[SportsJunky]

Well if the rioters are female we can just send Jetsfan in to slap some sense into them.

[troutman]

What are the latest world population predictions? IIRC, it may eventually plateau and even decline. As women around the world are better educated, birth rates should decline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

[Knut]

[HeartsOfFire]

The first world nations could use a good riot, I think.

[puckluck]

That's a good room to grow weed in.

[mikey_the_redneck]

I love Gerald Celente. He knows what the banks are up to, and he knows the economy hasn't seen the worst yet...

[SportsJunky]

Well if mikey loves him - I loves him.

[Regorium]

I think 2012 is a bit early, but I have no doubt it will happen in the near future.

[JimmytheT]

People were making predictions like this in the 1970s when the Arab Oil embargo was in full swing.

Doomsayers, sheesh.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Daradon

But the way pollution, resource scarcity, and population is going we are headed for this some day. I really doubt our technology, green shift, or shift towards caring for others will help us in time. It's a snowball that is getting bigger quick, and the full extent of our current situation isn't reported in the mainstream.

We need drastic changes in the way we do things now and no one seems to be prepared to do that. Greed still runs and rules. Both in the halls of power (government and corporate), and with humanity as a whole.

I have an issue with this post (but not the poster). The way things are going with pollution, resource scarcity, and population??? These things are all getting better, not worse. Look at prices for pretty close to any resource, they are at or below historical levels when adjusted for inflation, with the exception of gold - which is due to the huge increase in wealth we have all had in the last 20 to 50 years.

Pollution? In the developed world, pollution is so much better now than it ever has been, with the exception of the highly controversial CO2 - I don't want to get into that argument right now, but we used to have an issue with that PLUS acid rain, and the ozone hole, and polluted water everywhere. The pollution out there now is in China, and they are actually slowly working at getting even that better as they get richer. Rich people don't live beside dumps.

As for population, well, there's the real issue for the future. In 100 years, we may have too few people. Look at birth rates in wealthy countries, they are getting to the point that their populations are decreasing. And, as other countries get richer, their population growth rates go down as well. We've turned the corner on population in the world as a whole. Yes, all those things you have mentioned are serious concerns for, say, Africa, or portions of the Middle East, but that's the exception to the rule right now, not how things are.


There are other issues we are going to have to deal with that are just as damaging - dealing with population imbalances (as opposed to over population), shifting power centers potentially leading to war, shifting economic bases to change from a population growth model to something new, continuously disruptive new technologies. But not the old fears. Unless we drop the ball (and we haven't yet), we should have those licked soon.

[Pastiche]

Cascading sovereign debt defaults is probably the most grounded catastrophic prediction in the next while. With that said I don't think that's likely. Governments are going to start (and already have) cutting entitlements and raising taxes. In my mind the more likely scenario is one of low growth or deflation exemplified by Japan which is looking more and more like the canary in the coal mine having gone through a debt crisis about 10 years before we did.

Of course, the other elephant in the room is Sino-American relations fraying over financial and colonial issues as China's sphere rapidly expands.

[Azure]

If governments would start cutting entitlement programs and lowering taxes, letting the economy generate wealth and tax revenue, we would be better off.

Running deficits year after year because of welfare and other unnecessary spending is not sustainable. And unlike some, I'd prefer that our planet stood for a few more thousand years after I'm gone.

[Pastiche]

Cutting entitlements and lowering taxes is likely not possible with an aging population. An older population will demand more expensive services, will not consume as much (a key driver of post-modern growth) and will not contribute as much tax income. We will be most likely be cutting entitlements and raising taxes. Blame your parents, not me.