Since we just had Thanksgiving, and we're a little less than a month from Christmas, given the propensity of society to rush the holidays, why not already talk about the New Year?
Our more freaky-deeky types claim that 2012 will bring the end of the world-- if memory servies, on November 21st. So I hope everyone ate heartily on turkey day, because we just had our last one ever! But while I don't think 2012 will bring the Apocalypse, I do think 2012 could bring a lot of political, economic and social upheaval that may make 2012 the most tulmultous year in Western civilization since, say, 1968. Let's look at what we know is coming down the pike:
1. A US Presidential election where the national electorate is increasingly more polarized;
2. The rise of citizens' groups on the far right and far left who are going to put pressure on our elected officials, candidates-- indeed, our entire political system-- like never before;
3. The continued recession/sluggish recovery (depending on what set of economic indicators you believe);
4. The 2012 London Summer Olympics (the Olympic Games have frequently, and occasionally tragically, been a location for political demonstrations);
5. The continued peril the European Union finds itself in, economically and politically;
6. The continued US-led War on Terror
Wow. Put in there a natural disaster or two-- God forbid, an act of terror-- and 2012 has the possibility of being one for the books. But not the last one, I'm pretty sure.
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