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There are so many things, but future generations will be most concerned with the things affecting their lives at that time, and what were doing/not-doing now that will have the most long-term effect are 1) global warming, 2) ocean acidification, and 3) species extermination.
It will probably be remembered as the last generation to see the world with an ice cap on the arctic ocean, and will probably be vilified for all the signs having been there that the climate was about to break away into a vicious cycle of heating, but just couldn't get it together enough to do anything about it, because of the way it had decentralized control of the economy to the extent where it was impossible to reign in those economic forces invested in continuing to burn hydrocarbons at the unsustainable rate to which it had become accustomed.
It will be noted how ocean scientists were screaming as loud as they could that excess CO2 was not only making the atmosphere into a hothouse, but also how some of that surplus CO2 was being soaked up by the oceans and was reacting with salts in the oceans to form carbonic acid, which ate away at the shells of clams and oysters, and the structures of coral.
With loss of the coral, which formed the basic ecological foundation for all species of continental shelf species, vast extinctions of continental shelf fish occurred, to be replaced by enormous swarms of things that the fish used to prey upon, i.e., the oceans will seem to be taken over by trillions of jelly-fish, which are not very edible by humans, and so will be a factor in the famines that will affect those civilizations dependent upon the ocean for food.
And this will be remembered as the last generation to see large numbers of different species of plant and animals living in the wild. Pictures of diverse orchids and birds and animals will become coffee-table picture-book curiosities.
It will be blamed as an effect of a combination of how most people are very out-of-sight-out-of-mind, combined with how their Global Trade Speculator class - who didn't do any real work but who could make fortunes as middlemen by compelling populations to dig up or catch what was around them and ship it somewhere else - had bought influence in many important governments, such that even those who could see there was a problem and wanted things to be saved couldn't do anything about it because their governments had so surrendered their duties as leaders to the Global Trade Speculators because the Global Trade Speculators could make more money if there were no hands on the steering wheel, by speculating on people's panic as the economy swerved.
Plus it will be noted how with unfettered global trade minus authority and regulation, the average income of each individual was driven down to the point where even when individuals could see that the planet was being driven over a precipice, and even when they knew what needed to be done, still they couldn't do anything about it because their incomes had been driven down to bare-survival level, and so they didn't have enough spare time nor spare money to spend on trying to stop the catastrophe.
But, on the plus side... those in the future of the goth sort will note how the world was overpopulated with humans, but global warming and ocean acidification demolished the agricultural and fishing zones as people had known them, such that the planet went into a state of famine and war, thus cutting the human population back by billions.
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It kind of scares me to think how we will be portrayed...
Economy failing, severe deficits, war, and higher crime rates...I'm not happy about that...showing my grandchildren in 20-30 years...yeah wasn't grandmas time great!? It's almost embarassing...but I know there will be great things written in there too...I understand many don't like Obama...but the fact of getting over the hump and having a black president...that's a cool idea and it will change history...even having a women run for office will be something neat noted in the books. It's hard to say how they will write it down, but we'll know it best...I'm waiting to see it...
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It depends on who is writing the histories. Sure, there will always be proof one way or another, but the books tend to depict things on whatever bias is needed to shape the opinions of our children.
In the US alone, you can look at some of the most respected names, and families, and while in the history books as good guys, thy leave out the part where some were rumrunners. Some families ran 19th century Ponzi scams. Some of our greatest war heroes were blatant murderers.
It's all in how you spin it, and how the other guys spin theirs.
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And... actually ... slavery still exists in many places scattered throughout the world, so there's a chance that our some members of our generation may be portrayed by history as an apathetic, oblivious bunch who turned a blind eye.
As far as historical fiction on slavery goes, I guess art imitates life.
Try this link:
http://www.antislavery.org/english/default.aspx
Source(s):
http://www.antislavery.org/english/default.aspx
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Answered Question
Best Answer Decided by Votes
| October 21, 2009 04:49 PM | view on twitter |
It will probably be remembered as the last generation to see the world with an ice cap on the arctic ocean, and will probably be vilified for all the signs having been there that the climate was about to break away into a vicious cycle of heating, but just couldn't get it together enough to do anything about it, because of the way it had decentralized control of the economy to the extent where it was impossible to reign in those economic forces invested in continuing to burn hydrocarbons at the unsustainable rate to which it had become accustomed.
It will be noted how ocean scientists were screaming as loud as they could that excess CO2 was not only making the atmosphere into a hothouse, but also how some of that surplus CO2 was being soaked up by the oceans and was reacting with salts in the oceans to form carbonic acid, which ate away at the shells of clams and oysters, and the structures of coral.
With loss of the coral, which formed the basic ecological foundation for all species of continental shelf species, vast extinctions of continental shelf fish occurred, to be replaced by enormous swarms of things that the fish used to prey upon, i.e., the oceans will seem to be taken over by trillions of jelly-fish, which are not very edible by humans, and so will be a factor in the famines that will affect those civilizations dependent upon the ocean for food.
And this will be remembered as the last generation to see large numbers of different species of plant and animals living in the wild. Pictures of diverse orchids and birds and animals will become coffee-table picture-book curiosities.
It will be blamed as an effect of a combination of how most people are very out-of-sight-out-of-mind, combined with how their Global Trade Speculator class - who didn't do any real work but who could make fortunes as middlemen by compelling populations to dig up or catch what was around them and ship it somewhere else - had bought influence in many important governments, such that even those who could see there was a problem and wanted things to be saved couldn't do anything about it because their governments had so surrendered their duties as leaders to the Global Trade Speculators because the Global Trade Speculators could make more money if there were no hands on the steering wheel, by speculating on people's panic as the economy swerved.
Plus it will be noted how with unfettered global trade minus authority and regulation, the average income of each individual was driven down to the point where even when individuals could see that the planet was being driven over a precipice, and even when they knew what needed to be done, still they couldn't do anything about it because their incomes had been driven down to bare-survival level, and so they didn't have enough spare time nor spare money to spend on trying to stop the catastrophe.
But, on the plus side... those in the future of the goth sort will note how the world was overpopulated with humans, but global warming and ocean acidification demolished the agricultural and fishing zones as people had known them, such that the planet went into a state of famine and war, thus cutting the human population back by billions.
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Other Answers (4)
October 19, 2009 11:45 PM
| view on twitter
Great question...I've been wondering the same. It kind of scares me to think how we will be portrayed...
Economy failing, severe deficits, war, and higher crime rates...I'm not happy about that...showing my grandchildren in 20-30 years...yeah wasn't grandmas time great!? It's almost embarassing...but I know there will be great things written in there too...I understand many don't like Obama...but the fact of getting over the hump and having a black president...that's a cool idea and it will change history...even having a women run for office will be something neat noted in the books. It's hard to say how they will write it down, but we'll know it best...I'm waiting to see it...
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October 20, 2009 03:23 AM
| view on twitter
We will be the greatest heroes, and the most vile of infidels. We will rescue pets from trees, and we will murder children. Great leaders will be downplayed, while worthless tyrants will be praised. It depends on who is writing the histories. Sure, there will always be proof one way or another, but the books tend to depict things on whatever bias is needed to shape the opinions of our children.
In the US alone, you can look at some of the most respected names, and families, and while in the history books as good guys, thy leave out the part where some were rumrunners. Some families ran 19th century Ponzi scams. Some of our greatest war heroes were blatant murderers.
It's all in how you spin it, and how the other guys spin theirs.
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Voted as best: pellrider, lilyloretta
October 20, 2009 04:05 AM
| view on twitter
I think history will look back on our generation and decide that a lot of the things we did were just as screwed up as we think slavery was back in the ye olde South. And... actually ... slavery still exists in many places scattered throughout the world, so there's a chance that our some members of our generation may be portrayed by history as an apathetic, oblivious bunch who turned a blind eye.
As far as historical fiction on slavery goes, I guess art imitates life.
Try this link:
http://www.antislavery.org/english/default.aspx
Source(s):
http://www.antislavery.org/english/default.aspx
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Voted as best: kty2777
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