Future view

Reading an article "just now" (which in South Africa could mean anytime - or maybe not at all?) in Wired about Futurama (not the tv series) - the most memorable exhibit at the 1939 New York's World Fair. People stood in line for hours to experience the possibilities of life in the distant future (well, 1960 was a long way away for them then). As I read that, it occurred to me that when we speculate on "the future" now, it seems not to be a place as full of promise and hope. Yes, it may just be the media I'm plugged in to - but it seems that what we have to look forward to is continued struggles to "win the war on terrorism" or to beat "global warming" or to find a way to make the "global economy" work for everyone. The advances mooted now, eg GM food or stem cell medicine, are touched by controversy and uncertainty. Is this the way it used to be when people looked to the future? Or is it that we as a society have become jaded and/or more critical or so influenced by the world as it is, that we are unable to imagine it "better"? (I am prepared to accept at this point that it's just me but it seemed the question was worth asking.)