# What things that we are now afraid of worried about will our kids look back at and be amused? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 28, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654 "2010-10-28T13:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/1 "2010-10-28T13:27:40Z")
Going along with [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13075330#post13075330): > [@](#): > > I got to thinking about the article recently that talked about how Google was creating a self-navigating car. What has struck me when I talk about it with people, they are universally scared of the prospect. I’m not mocking them either, I don’t think such a prospect is without risks, but my first thought is, “Humans don’t exactly have a flawless track record when it comes to driving.” > > The way I look at, my kids could very likely be shocked and amused that we would ever be more scared of a machine that can simultaneously monitor all directions for movement and run calculations about its velocity and whatnot over a person who can only look in one direction, who is listening to the radio, who is thinking about what he or she needs at the grocery store, etc. > > So, looking back, what kinds of technology, new philosophies, medical procedures, etc. were feared by contemporaries, but now seem quaint to us? What things will our kids look back on think, “Why the hell were you so worried?” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/2 "2010-10-28T13:36:50Z")
Cloning. It’ll be the IVF of the future. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/3 "2010-10-28T13:42:31Z")
> [@gitfiddle](#): > > Going along with [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13075330#post13075330): > What things will our kids look back on think, “Why the hell were you so worried?” Global warming. ---
**Author:** ![ramel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ramel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ramel)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/4 "2010-10-28T13:42:42Z")
Immigrants. Nah, I doubt it. People have been terrified of immigration since the start of history. I doubt it’ll stop any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/5 "2010-10-28T14:03:13Z")
Gay marriage. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/6 "2010-10-28T14:03:49Z")
Gay marriage, without a doubt. Moving away from physical money. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/7 "2010-10-28T14:08:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Gay marriage. Already the case, here in Canada. It has very quickly become a total non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/8 "2010-10-28T14:11:18Z")
Same sex marriage probably. 2012, when it passes it’ll become just another in the long list of apocalypses than didn’t happen. Race; because eventually people will be so genetically engineered, cyborged and interbred that the old categories will lose meaning, and there’ll be whole new groups to be prejudiced against. > [@](#): > > Racism was not a problem on the Discworld, because — what with trolls and dwarfs and so on — speciesism was more interesting. Black and white lived in perfect harmony and ganged up on green. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/9 "2010-10-28T14:48:15Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Same sex marriage probably. > > 2012, when it passes it’ll become just another in the long list of apocalypses than didn’t happen. SSM is going to pass in 2012? Do you mean on the national level? > [@](#): > > Race; because eventually people will be so genetically engineered, cyborged and interbred that the old categories will lose meaning, and there’ll be whole new groups to be prejudiced against. \*Gatitca \*was a good movie, and I could see something like that hapening. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/10 "2010-10-28T14:53:19Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Gay marriage, without a doubt. > > Moving away from physical money. I will espouse the opposite viewpoint and say that I think they will wonder why we were so afraid of dollar coins jingling in our pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/11 "2010-10-28T14:55:04Z")
Cancer. AIDS. etc. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/12 "2010-10-28T14:58:15Z")
Gay marriage. Genetic engineering. Cloning. Stem cell research. Peak Oil. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/13 "2010-10-28T14:59:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > SSM is going to pass in 2012? Do you mean on the national level?. I believe he meant the Mayan calendar kerfuffle about the world ending in 2012 and punctuated it oddly. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/14 "2010-10-28T15:01:19Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I will espouse the opposite viewpoint and say that I think they will wonder why we were so afraid of dollar coins jingling in our pockets. You’ll get mugged for your jingling coins while I am happly using my biochipped debit card. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/15 "2010-10-28T15:02:13Z")
The “evils” of “government run” healthcare. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/16 "2010-10-28T15:03:53Z")
Nuclear power and GM foods ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/17 "2010-10-28T15:20:28Z")
> [@villa](#): > > You’ll get mugged for your jingling coins while I am happly using my biochipped debit card. And you’ll be holding a stump while cyborg-troll-immigrants press your severed hand to an ATM. 😃 The google car is a good point. Automation in general is another. I think over the next thirty years the economy is going to retool around the idea of cheap, untiring, robotic labor. Hopefully the next generation will look back in shame over how utterly stupid and anti-science a large chunk of the population is. Denying evolution, global warming and basic economics will be seen as a dementia that we get over. Or more likely it’ll be just as shitty. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/18 "2010-10-28T15:20:38Z")
Jihadists. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/19 "2010-10-28T15:21:41Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > And you’ll be holding a stump while cyborg-troll-immigrants press your severed hand to an ATM. 😃 What can I hold the stump with if they have severed my hand? Didn’t think of that one, did you! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654/20 "2010-10-28T15:22:30Z")
> [@villa](#): > > What can I hold the stump with if they have severed my hand? Didn’t think of that one, did you! 😛 Granddad, what was it like when people only had two arms? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-that-we-are-now-afraid-of-worried-about-will-our-kids-look-back-at-and-be-amused/558654.md?page=2)