The greatest danger to civilisation over the next 20 years?

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The greatest danger to civilisation over the next 20 years?

Terrorism
5
19%
AIDS
4
15%
Mass conventional war
1
4%
Nuclear war
2
7%
Mass third world immigration
2
7%
American imperialism
3
11%
Europe voting the Nazis back in
0
No votes
The oil running out
3
11%
Chinese expansionism
1
4%
Other
6
22%
 
Total votes : 27

The greatest danger to civilisation over the next 20 years?

Postby Lochaber » Mon Jun 14, 2004 1:15 am

What do you guys, who share an interest in the causes of human misery, think is the biggest red flag over the survival of our civilisation over the next 20 years? Civilisation can be defined any way you like, as can danger.
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Postby EYE SPY » Mon Jun 14, 2004 1:21 am

The problem is, all these things are interrelated... so its hard to say which is the greatest threat...

however, the most easily managable of these is American Imperialism...

We as citizens have a direct role in changing America's foreign policy... its not like we can directly prevent the spread of AIDS or immigration, and certainly since we are not Chinese citizens of affluence, we have no Direct influence on thier foreign policy.
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Postby fgmsociety » Mon Jun 14, 2004 2:30 am

I think its the battle against the dominant, aggresive males that run the world......probably about 8 in a room somewhere...their motivation is power, money, and status and they need to be replaced by women....
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Postby Dim » Mon Jun 14, 2004 2:31 am

Europe voting the Nazis back in?

You forgot a few:

The Romanovs lead a successful coup in Russia, rolling back economic reform by re-instituting serfdom.

The US Union is torn apart by succession over slavery - Atlanta is destroyed, bankrupting Delta airlines.

Italy sacked by waves of Barbarian tribes from beyond the Rhine.

And so on . . .
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Postby Lochaber » Mon Jun 14, 2004 2:44 am

Dim wrote:Europe voting the Nazis back in?

You forgot a few:

The Romanovs lead a successful coup in Russia, rolling back economic reform by re-instituting serfdom.

The US Union is torn apart by succession over slavery - Atlanta is destroyed, bankrupting Delta airlines.

Italy sacked by waves of Barbarian tribes from beyond the Rhine.

And so on . . .


Hey, O Sarcastic One, don't forget Le Pen got 18% of the vote in France and Fortuyn got 25% in Holland. Maybe it's not all that unthinkable.
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heh heh Dim.

Postby Tejas » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:05 am

At least I know your handle wasn't hijacked today.
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Postby Dim » Mon Jun 14, 2004 4:07 am

Hey, O Sarcastic One, don't forget Le Pen got 18% of the vote in France and Fortuyn got 25% in Holland. Maybe it's not all that unthinkable.


You'd be better off pointing out Jorge Haider, who was (briefly) actually in power in Austria on a far right platform.

That said, most of the ultra-right wing politicians in Europe are still too left-wing on most social issues to realistically stand for national office in the US (esp Fortuyn ,who was gay).

Hitlers stated goal in the Weimar republic was to dissolve the parliament and create a single party state with himself as absolute leader - I can't say I followed le Pens campaign very closely, but if that was his policy I think I would have heard about it . . .

I'm putting a National Socialist victory in Europe at about the same odds as Japans reinvasion of China and bombing campaign against the US's Pacific fleet.
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Postby Marco_Benoit » Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:40 am

Someone (works for the govt) told me that they're brining back the draft. What is our govt. preparing for? World War III? Who are we figthing this time? Terrorists on a global scale? Maybe invade all the Arab/Muslim countries that are harboring terrorists?

Im sure major terrorist attack in either Europe or the U.S are inevitable. The terrorists are getting bolder and they're bound to get a few in.
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Postby DawnC71 » Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:11 am

The draft coming back is old news.....as soon as the election is over and if Bushie wins and is secure for a second term...look for your taxes to go up, and the draft to begin!
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Postby Lochaber » Mon Jun 14, 2004 6:16 am

Dim wrote:

I'm putting a National Socialist victory in Europe at about the same odds as Japans reinvasion of China and bombing campaign against the US's Pacific fleet.


Thanks for pointing out the extremely obvious.

The purpose of my including the Nazi option under a 20 year timeframe was that this sort of thing takes some time to develop, and 20 years may be enough.
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weather

Postby muskrat » Mon Jun 14, 2004 10:20 am

Other than than a coup by the uber imperial Hapsburgs of Osterreich I would look to the changing hotter drier global weather patterns of the last few years. If this cycle becomes the norm there will be some big problems.
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Re: weather

Postby Lochaber » Mon Jun 14, 2004 10:46 am

muskrat wrote:Other than than a coup by the uber imperial Hapsburgs of Osterreich I would look to the changing hotter drier global weather patterns of the last few years. If this cycle becomes the norm there will be some big problems.


Yeah the weather option was a glaring omission. I guess that's what most of the people voting 'other' are doing it for.
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Postby Prodigal Son » Mon Jun 14, 2004 1:29 pm

Check out the Economist's series of articles on the "Copenhagen Consensus" (at least I think that is what it is). They figured AIDs was probably the biggest threat.
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Postby sorcerer » Mon Jun 14, 2004 2:15 pm

overpopulation. if you look closely it is the root cause of most of the other choices. "the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep having kids" ?
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Postby NIJ » Mon Jun 14, 2004 3:22 pm

I think terrorism is probably the most likely, but not for the terrorist acts themselves. The US government has declared a neverending war on terror and for a while they managed to use it as an excuse to begin the foundations of a police state. But of course the American people are grossly apathetic and after our 15 minute attention span expired we started to think that maybe all of this wasn't such a good idea. Being such a wishy-washy nation though, all it will take is another attack for us to get angry again and throw our support back in.

With the draft returning and our nation teetering on the wrong side of the slippery slope of freedom a few more attacks and some well timed lawmaking will lead us to a truly global war with little or no consequences to the politicians who guide it. With America on a warpath like that the world will change and not for the better.
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