Our likely future

> What I'd like to see in the future vs. the reality

Jessica Berget Opinions Editor

iving in the future is weird. Looking

back at all the predictions that have been made in the past for the future—or our present—is a little embarrassing. Many people thought that by 2018 we would all be cloning ourselves, driving flying cars, and enjoying the fact that manual labour is a job for the artificially intelligent. It’s clear that none of that came true (quite yet), but the future has ways of surprising us, whether it be good or bad. It’s hard to say what’s in store for us, or our future generations 20, 50, even 100 years from now, but there’s no harm in guessing. Here are some things I would like to see happen in the future and how likely it is to happen.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation: The prospect of Al’s being integrated into society both excites and terrifies me. On the one hand, robots are sick! On the other hand, the rise of Al’s and automation probably means countless jobs will be lost, as employers will begin to replace human workers with robots. The reality? It’s basically already happening. Saudi Arabia has granted “robotic citizenship” to an Al named Sophie, the first robot to receive such a status. Technology can only go up from here, so I think we may see robots becoming a part of daily society in the next 50 years or so. Revamped education systems:

Our current K-12 education system was generated during the industrial revolution and still largely adheres to the industrial-age model of education. T also think it puts too much emphasis on grades and tests, and little care is given to hands-on learning experiences and the importance of learning. Ideally, tests and grades will be eradicated, and

an emphasis on applied knowledge will be the way of future education. I’d also like to see free post-secondary education tuition. Unfortunately, besides school hours and perhaps less testing, I don’t think the public education system will go through much change in the future. Currently, there are no ideas being put in place to improve public education, so I think it will be a while before we see any major change. As for free post- secondary education; yeah, right.

Banning zoos and aquariums: With companies like SeaWorld allegedly neglecting and mistreating their animals and extinction or endangerment for many animals becoming an alarming reality, it seems like the best solution for zoos and aquariums to close their doors. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will happen anytime soon. I imagine most animals, whether they are endangered or near extinction, will most likely continue to be kept in cages and pools for tourism, educational, and money-making purposes.

Smoking cigarettes: Everyone knows smoking and second-hand smoke is terrible for you, yet many people continue to do it. Smoking has already been banned from public places such as restaurants and schools, so I hope in the future smoking cigarettes becomes banned altogether and people can find healthier alternative ways to get their nicotine. I believe this is something that will happen soon. Currently, the total population of smokers is about 20 per cent. Compared to the 42 per cent of smokers about 50 years ago, and with the rise of vapes and e-cigarettes it’s likely that cigarette smoking will be removed from daily society perhaps within the next 20-30 years.

Renewable energy and resources: With climate change and global

warming looming over us, it’s a surprise that we haven't already adopted

other means of energy that are less damaging to the planet. But don’t fear, renewable energy is (almost) here.

A study done by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy

The future of controversy

> How present controversial opinions may evolve over time

Jessica Berget Opinions Editor

A: long as society has existed,

controversy has also existed. Over time, these once controversial opinions evolved into widely accepted cultural and societal norms. Legalizing marijuana and gay marriage were once extremely controversial subjects with much of the population being against it, but now, both are becoming more socially accepted. Considering this, these are some present- day controversial opinions that may become societal norms of the future.

Incest: 50 years ago, calling your partner “daddy” probably would have been enough to deem you mentally disturbed. Nowadays, this is a trend in relationships and sexual expression. There has also been an influx of pornography capitalizing on incest relationships and fetishes. Incest is a cultural norm in many societies both in human and animal populations. Families with royal lineage also use incest to keep their “royal blood” in the family. In fact, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are close cousins—her uncle was married to his first cousin. In the animal kingdom,

bonobos are one species of monkeys that

practice incest. Furthermore, Game of

Thrones is a popular series that has started

to normalize incestuous relationships both

in television and books. With all of this

considered, it seems that the idea of incest

might become a more widely accepted

and no longer such a taboo in the future. Polygamy/polyamory: The basis

of relationships has evolved quite a bit

in the past few decades. People’s ideas

and perspectives of what a relationship

is has become more fluid. Polyamory

has always been around but only

recently has it became popularized in

the media with shows like Broad City,

Transparent, and of course, Game of

Thrones. It’s more normal now to have

sexual or romantic relations with more

than one person with online dating

and sexual self expression becoming

more prominent. Because of the current

popularity of these relationships, poly

relationships may become a normalized

and accepted practice in the near future. Legalization of drugs and

prostitution: People have been fucking and

doing drugs before time even existed. The

fact is that there is a market for sex and

drugs because people simply like doing it. Prostitution may not be a widely accepted career option in Western society, but in the Netherlands, it’s not only legalized, there is actually access to sexual services for citizens with disabilities, because

Photo of Sophia by Fabrice Coffrini via Getty Images

Laboratory (NREL) shows that the US will be generating most of its electricity with renewable energy by the year 2050. This is great news, but it’s tough to say whether this will be in time to reverse the effects of climate change. For now, all we can do it wait and see.

Photo by Analyn Cuarto

sex is deemed a right everybody should be able to enjoy. Drug-dealing is also a career that is looked down upon because it’s illegal, but with marijuana becoming more accepted it may not be long before other drugs are legalized as well.