5 Predictions for 2011

Many people wrap-up an old year looking back and reflecting on all that happened in the fading year. Some people also start the new year looking ahead to what’s going to happen. I’ve sometimes done the first, but I don’t think I’ve ever done the second. So, probably for the first time, five new year predictions:

1. Republicans in the US Congress will say or do something really stupid/awful and the Democrats won’t know what to say or do in response. Republican/Fox spin will smooth it all over and Democrats will wonder how they missed another opportunity.
2. Far right religious nutcases will continue to harass gay and lesbian people and will often succeed in enshrining their hatred in law. Mainstream political and religious leaders will continue to say and do little or nothing to stop them.
3. In New Zealand, both the National Party and the Labour Party will say or do really stupid things and, when called on it, will blame the other party. It’s an election year; it’s what they do.
4. Mainstream newsmedia will continue to fixate on the trivial, mundane and banal while deliberately ignoring the issues of substance that really matter to most people now, or that will matter in the years ahead. Most people will hardly even notice—as long as they get their reality show updates on the evening news.
5. At some point in the year, someone somewhere will be wrong on the Internet and someone else somewhere else will make it his or her mission to correct/complain about/attack the first person. Words will be exchanged, blood pressures will rise and nothing will have changed when the dust settles.

Yes, I’m being sarcastic, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Especially about that last one.

This prognosticating is tiring work, but at least I saved myself some effort at the end of the year: I now have to do a post reflecting on how accurate I was. Such is the responsibility one takes on when predicting the future.

Go ahead and make your own predictions in the comments if you want—serious or not.