this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 58 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Violent chaos in the US. One of three things will happen:

  • The Supreme Court sides with the states that want to remove Trump from the ballot. Trump's minions cry foul and lose their minds.
  • Trump gets on the ballot but he loses to Biden again. Trump's minions cry foul and lose their minds.
  • Trump gets on the ballot and wins. Trump and the GOP take that as a mandate to govern with impunity, and run roughshod over the country.
[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Sure, violent chaos, but very localized. Even most right-wingers aren't devoted to that tool.

The ones that are... they'll be trouble, as you say.

[–] Pratai 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’d be willing to bet money they’re a lot less localized than you think.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Yup, the radicalized ones became radicalized through the Internet - there is no specific place in the country that is "safe" because literally anywhere may house a zealous believer ready to get pushed over the line.

Like tens of thousands of little terrorist sleeper cells.

[–] weirdbeardgame 5 points 10 months ago

Yeeahhh that's kinda the vibe I've been getting as well

[–] xkforce 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yes and it would very much fit the pattern:

2020: pandemic millions die

2021: january 6th

2022: Ukraine is invaded by Russia

2023: Gaza

2024: ???

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

2024: Papua New Guinea launches nuclear device to blow up moon, because why not.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The lack of snowpack in the US plus ocean temps that are already 6σ over historical averages are probably going to make for an "interesting" summer. As a result, I suspect crop failures are going to get a lot more coverage this year.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 10 months ago (3 children)

This is the real scenario, right here. Everyone is so focused on increased disaster occurrences that it feels like this is invisible - until its not. Last summer Alberta was under drought conditions, and overall crop yields were 67% of the 5-yr average.

Less and less snowpack means less and less water to deal with worse and worse drought conditions.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago

Not to mention increased wildfire risk.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Also there’s a lot of political pressure disrupting farming too. Food could be a big problem this year.

[–] skeezix 2 points 10 months ago

What about fudgepack how does that figure in?

[–] NOT_RICK 32 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

No matter what happens in November, I expect this US presidential election cycle to be a shit show.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Jesus is coming back. AND THIS TIME...IT'S PERSONAL!

[–] skeezix 8 points 10 months ago

Reach out and touch faith.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

More war. Not necessarily WW3 but an increase in the number of proxy type conflicts.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Let's see... Major ones are

  • Russia-Ukraine in Eastern Europe

  • Israel-Hamas in the Middle East

  • Civil war in Myanmar

  • Azerbaijan-Armenia

Possible flashpoints are

  • Taiwan-China (roping in the US)

  • Russia-NATO (Poland or the Baltics)

  • Iran-Israel (not entirely sure how that'll work since they're not directly adjacent)

  • North Korea-South Korea

I see the world coalescing into two major axes of power: "the West" and Western aligned/allied nations comprising US/UK/EU/Australia/Israel/Japan/S. Korea on one side. Largely Democracies or Parliamentary systems.

On the other: Russia, China, North Korea, Iran. Largely Autocracies, and one Autocracy with Chinese Characteristics™. All four have beef to pick with Western countries. They might press their advantages if they see that Western support for each other wavers (Ukraine and Israel). We're already seeing them warm in relations with each other (Putin/Kim visit, arms deals between Russia/China and Russia/N. Korea). They might form their own NATO style Bloc which would be stronger than the paper tiger that is the CIS. Combined, they may very well have the ability to split the West's priorities if internal division is strong.

I think it's going to get even more tense the further this decade goes on. The dice that is the US Presidential election may decide the next big moves of these nations.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Two big factions fighting at many points across the globe is called a world war though

[–] someguy3 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Don't forget Pakistan and India and their weird alliances. Though I think the possible war part is on hold because of the floods.

As for China they are probably shitting their pants when they saw what corruption did to the Russian military. They have to crack down on corruption, make sure their military is up to actual snuff, which pushes back any invasion hope.

[–] weirdbeardgame 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And don't India and China have beef?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They do, so their soldiers get +2 protein per turn

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (11 children)

Actual aliens will land and just be like "y'all need to chill the fuck out." And then quarantine the whole planet so we don't fuck up the rest of the galaxy until we get our collective shit together.

[–] HerrVorragend 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And we all will be like: "Who's fault is it!? The Russians! The Chinese! Old White Men! Young Black Men! The Jews! My stupid neighbour...!!!"

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

"Actually it was the dolphins. You guys don't even wanna know what they say about humans."

[–] Stern 5 points 10 months ago

I feel like if aliens rolled in it'd be violent somehow. Either some QAnon type schizoid takes shots at Intergalactic Franz Ferdinand and we get absolutely fucked in the war, or they land solely to tell us they're taking over.

But maybe I'm just looking at Earth's history of colonization of the various countries a bit too closely.

[–] PlutoniumAcid 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That would actually be a nice change. Can they also put the troublemakers in time out? Please?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Maybe they could spank us too

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I'm gonna find my g spot, because there's only so many places I can look.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

where did you leave it

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[–] weeeeum 9 points 10 months ago

To be honest every year seems to start with "crazy shit". We just notice it because "omg this year is so crazy already"

[–] QuarterSwede 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

China invades Taiwan and the US helps defend them.

  1. China’s president Xi Jingping’s remarks about taking Taiwan back over during his address to the nation this year.

  2. I work with someone who is currently high ranking in a corporation and is a retired submariner who was also in intelligence and is currently in the reserves. He has mandatory federally protected training upcoming this year over this exact scenario (basically, not all of their training is federally protected, meaning an employer can’t retaliate over taking time off to do mandatory training). The military is obviously convinced it’s a real possibility.

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[–] Mr_Blott 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

A completely new type of cheese

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I feel as though dolphin cheese remains largely unexplored

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[–] radix 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If recent history is any indication (it's not, but it's fun to think about), the craziness won't even start for a few weeks/months:

March 2014: MH370 disappeared.
March 2015: Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 is intentionally crashed in the Alps.
April 2016: The Panama Papers are leaked/published.
February 2017: The Oscars' presenters forget how to read.
February 2018: Parkland, Florida school shooting.
March 2019: The Boeing 737 Max is effectively banned from flights after a string of crashes.
March 2020: Covid doesn't start, but finally comes to a breaking point and restrictions are implemented across the US.
March 2021: The container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal.
February 2022: Russia invades Ukraine.
February 2023: US Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It all started with the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series. They didn't break the curse, they somehow transferred it to the rest of us.

[–] weirdbeardgame 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

We need to go back Marty! We need to stop the Cubs from winning the world series!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I would not be surprised if it's time travelers who put us in this mess in the first place.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Well, in the second place

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Fist fights on national television in American congress.

[–] ChillPenguin 3 points 10 months ago

We could only be so lucky. It would hopefully start to take some of the older ones out of government.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm finally buying a house and moving with my wife to rural northern Japan, so I can only assume that it will burn down, fall over, and sink into a swamp.

On a more serious note, the US political situation will probably get a lot worse before (and if) it gets better. It still does affect me since I still have to file taxes, still am restricted in investing overseas (thanks, lack of US recognition of Japanese retirement vehicles and punitive policies meant to prevent people investing in certain foreign investments (PFICs)). I still also have investments in the US, qualify for social security when I retire (assuming it still has any money to pay out in another 20ish years), and family living in the US, some of whom I would like to visit again before they pass.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wow you are a lucky man! Rural Japan

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

From my total and completely infallible knowledge of Japan learned from watching anime, this guy is going to be haunted by ghosts and have a bad time.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

I think combat drones will go full autonomous this year, as a means of overcoming control signal jamming.

It will be limited-mission autonomy, and only as a capability not the default operational mode, but there will be a huge push to make the newest drones capable of continue the mission in the event of lost connection with their remote controller.

It will also be necessary because of the sheer numbers of drones involved in the Ukraine war. There simply won’t be enough pilots.

Obviously, autonomy already exists. Iron Dome operates autonomously, because attackers have the initiative, the robot is required for fast-enough response.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Hopefully a massive gamma-ray burst aimed directly at Earth.

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