How will historian see USA today in 200 years from now?

mapuc · 01-12-14, 04:16 PM

A friend asked this question about Denmark,
So I thought how would a historian see USA today, when he or she write about it about 200 years from now.

I know it is a widespread question. USA is so much more than just a country with a president and a senat a.s.o

Markus

Catfish · 01-12-14, 04:34 PM

It was a time before we found ourselves being tracked, analyzed, profiled, and flagged in our daily lives to a degree we could scarcely imagine.

We were forced into an impossible struggle to conform to the letter of every rule, law, and guideline, lest we create ammunition for enemies in the government or elsewhere.

Our transgressions became permanent Scarlet Letters that followed us throughout our lives, visible to all and used by the government, landlords, employers, insurance companies and other powerful parties to increase their leverage over average people.

Americans were no longer able to engage in political protest or go about their daily lives without the constant awareness that they were - or could be - under surveillance.
They were forced to constantly ask of even the smallest action taken in public, like
"Will this make me look suspicious?
Will this hurt my chances for future employment?
Will this reduce my ability to get insurance?"

The exercise of free speech was chilled as Americans became conscious that their every word might be reported to the government by FBI or NSA infiltrators, suspicious fellow citizens or an Internet Service Provider.

This was before the revolution.

Sailor Steve · 01-12-14, 04:52 PM

It's a question that cannot be answered today. On the one hand no one can say what people in the future will think. On the other hand future historians will only know what we today have written, which is always blinded by bias. We don't know what happened in ancient Rome, only what Romans had to say about it. The American Revolution is closer to home in both time and place. We know what people at that time wrote. We know what the next generation wrote, and the one after that. We can read the precise records concerning the outcomes of different battles and the outcome of the war itself. We can read the treaty that formally ended the war. We can read the writings of the time and get a pretty good idea of what happened, but there is no way they could know then what we would think of them now. What "we" think of them now is widely varied, because every history that is written is written by someone with an agenda. That agenda may be a serious attempt to get at the truth, but in fact the people who wrote about it then and the ones who write about it now all have their own biases.

We have widely varied opinions about what we see going on around us today. Current writers are all biased for or against any topic you can name. Mostly all we do here is complain about one side or the other's bias and agendas and try to slant things to suit our own bias. Any future writers will have to sort through everybody's writing today and try to pick which is closer to the truth, which will inevitably mean which is closer to their own opinion of what went on today. That means future writers will be trying to sort through today's opinions while looking at them through their own opinions.

Whatever anyone says to that question, it will be guesswork and nothing more.

August · 01-12-14, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catfish

Americans were no longer able to engage in political protest or go about their daily lives without the constant awareness that they were - or could be - under surveillance.
They were forced to constantly ask of even the smallest action taken in public, like
"Will this make me look suspicious?
Will this hurt my chances for future employment?
Will this reduce my ability to get insurance?"

My guess is that there will be no doubt about being under surveillance. It will be constant and unrelenting from conception to the grave. I also believe there will be no such thing as a "job" either as all work will be done by robots.

Quote:

This was before the revolution.

Not likely to happen either i'm afraid. Revolutions require secrecy to get going and flourish. That will just not be possible in the glare of constant surveillance.

Buddahaid · 01-12-14, 05:19 PM

One vast difference in comparison to how we view 200 years ago today and what will be viewed 200 years from now is the shear amount of data to sift through.

mapuc · 01-12-14, 05:21 PM

Thank you for your answer. I think Steve said perfectly.

Markus

Armistead · 01-12-14, 07:10 PM

Oh, we'll evolve, probably lose world power for several decades, but no telling how we'll end up after several crisis, maybe better, maybe worse.

Platapus · 01-12-14, 07:13 PM

200 years from now, only academics and unfortunate college students will be studying US in history. The average person in the year 2214 will have as much knowledge and interest as the average person in 2014 has over stuff that happened in the late 1700's and early 1800's.

Only the "big" things will be covered and big will be defined by the culture of 2214.

With the ever increasing amount of data (not necessarily information) that is and will be available to people, people won't have much time to ponder history. There will always be a sub group people with an interest in history. But for the people in 2214, what happened way back in 2014 will be ancient history.

They will only know the big stuff but, like many students of history, may not have a full appreciation of the contemporary context. Much of what happens around 2014 won't be understood by historians of 2214. As such, there will probably be a lot of jokes about 21st century Americans.

TarJak · 01-12-14, 08:42 PM

As opposed to the ones going around these days?

Wolferz · 01-12-14, 09:04 PM

I won't be here, so no reason to speculate within the realm of the oracles.

nikimcbee · 01-12-14, 09:06 PM

That's easy, they made a movie about it.

Wolferz · 01-12-14, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

That's easy, they made a movie about it.

Stranger fiction has come true.
Reference: George Orwell...

Tchocky · 01-12-14, 09:23 PM

Yeah I saw a few pigs chatting to each other the other day. Didn't think much of it but I suppose Orwell was right on the money there.

August · 01-12-14, 09:48 PM

Orwell was wrong. No pig will ever be in charge of anything as long as bacon remains so tasty.

Buddahaid · 01-12-14, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Orwell was wrong. No pig will ever be in charge of anything as long as bacon remains so tasty.

LOL

01-12-14, 04:16 PM	#1
mapuc Fleet Admiral Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 19,603 Downloads: 37 Uploads: 0	How will historian see USA today in 200 years from now? A friend asked this question about Denmark, So I thought how would a historian see USA today, when he or she write about it about 200 years from now. I know it is a widespread question. USA is so much more than just a country with a president and a senat a.s.o Markus

01-12-14, 04:52 PM	#3
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	It's a question that cannot be answered today. On the one hand no one can say what people in the future will think. On the other hand future historians will only know what we today have written, which is always blinded by bias. We don't know what happened in ancient Rome, only what Romans had to say about it. The American Revolution is closer to home in both time and place. We know what people at that time wrote. We know what the next generation wrote, and the one after that. We can read the precise records concerning the outcomes of different battles and the outcome of the war itself. We can read the treaty that formally ended the war. We can read the writings of the time and get a pretty good idea of what happened, but there is no way they could know then what we would think of them now. What "we" think of them now is widely varied, because every history that is written is written by someone with an agenda. That agenda may be a serious attempt to get at the truth, but in fact the people who wrote about it then and the ones who write about it now all have their own biases. We have widely varied opinions about what we see going on around us today. Current writers are all biased for or against any topic you can name. Mostly all we do here is complain about one side or the other's bias and agendas and try to slant things to suit our own bias. Any future writers will have to sort through everybody's writing today and try to pick which is closer to the truth, which will inevitably mean which is closer to their own opinion of what went on today. That means future writers will be trying to sort through today's opinions while looking at them through their own opinions. Whatever anyone says to that question, it will be guesswork and nothing more. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

01-12-14, 05:19 PM	#5
Buddahaid Shark above Space Chicken Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 8,976 Downloads: 160 Uploads: 0	One vast difference in comparison to how we view 200 years ago today and what will be viewed 200 years from now is the shear amount of data to sift through. __________________ "However vast the darkness, we must provide our own light." Stanley Kubrick "Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming." David Bowie

01-12-14, 07:10 PM	#7
Armistead Rear Admiral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: on the Dan Posts: 10,875 Downloads: 364 Uploads: 0	Oh, we'll evolve, probably lose world power for several decades, but no telling how we'll end up after several crisis, maybe better, maybe worse. __________________ You see my dog don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

01-12-14, 07:13 PM	#8
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,163 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	200 years from now, only academics and unfortunate college students will be studying US in history. The average person in the year 2214 will have as much knowledge and interest as the average person in 2014 has over stuff that happened in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Only the "big" things will be covered and big will be defined by the culture of 2214. With the ever increasing amount of data (not necessarily information) that is and will be available to people, people won't have much time to ponder history. There will always be a sub group people with an interest in history. But for the people in 2214, what happened way back in 2014 will be ancient history. They will only know the big stuff but, like many students of history, may not have a full appreciation of the contemporary context. Much of what happens around 2014 won't be understood by historians of 2214. As such, there will probably be a lot of jokes about 21st century Americans. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

01-12-14, 04:34 PM	#2
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,101 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	It was a time before we found ourselves being tracked, analyzed, profiled, and flagged in our daily lives to a degree we could scarcely imagine. We were forced into an impossible struggle to conform to the letter of every rule, law, and guideline, lest we create ammunition for enemies in the government or elsewhere. Our transgressions became permanent Scarlet Letters that followed us throughout our lives, visible to all and used by the government, landlords, employers, insurance companies and other powerful parties to increase their leverage over average people. Americans were no longer able to engage in political protest or go about their daily lives without the constant awareness that they were - or could be - under surveillance. They were forced to constantly ask of even the smallest action taken in public, like "Will this make me look suspicious? Will this hurt my chances for future employment? Will this reduce my ability to get insurance?" The exercise of free speech was chilled as Americans became conscious that their every word might be reported to the government by FBI or NSA infiltrators, suspicious fellow citizens or an Internet Service Provider. This was before the revolution.

01-12-14, 05:21 PM	#6
mapuc Fleet Admiral Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 19,603 Downloads: 37 Uploads: 0	Thank you for your answer. I think Steve said perfectly. Markus

01-12-14, 08:42 PM	#9
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	As opposed to the ones going around these days? Last edited by TarJak; 01-12-14 at 09:32 PM.

01-12-14, 09:04 PM	#10
Wolferz Navy Seal Join Date: May 2007 Location: On a mighty quest for the Stick of Truth Posts: 5,963 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	I won't be here, so no reason to speculate within the realm of the oracles. __________________ Tomorrow never comes

01-12-14, 09:06 PM	#11
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,927 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	That's easy, they made a movie about it. __________________

01-12-14, 09:23 PM	#13
Tchocky Navy Seal Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,874 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Yeah I saw a few pigs chatting to each other the other day. Didn't think much of it but I suppose Orwell was right on the money there. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

01-12-14, 09:48 PM	#14
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 22,946 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Orwell was wrong. No pig will ever be in charge of anything as long as bacon remains so tasty. __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.