At the end of every year, people around the world make predictions about what the next year will hold.
Some of these predictions equate to educated guesses based on past trends. Others base predictions on speculation. Yet, other predictions are based on the hopes, dreams and fantasies of those who wish to see a better world.
By the time another year passes, many of these predictions come true. After all, if Adele’s record label says that Adele is finishing up another studio album, it is implied that the album will drop sometime in the next calendar year. It does not take a mystic or a clairvoyant to make that connection.
Some predictions for the year 2015 were accurate. More predictions were inaccurate. However, some predictions were hilariously inaccurate. Of course, however, the year 2015 did have a few early predictions from Marty McFly.
1. Hover Boards Do Not Exist
Back to the Future Part II came back to life this October. On the 21st of the month, the population had a good laugh at just how far they thought they would go in 30 years.
Out of all the predictions that the writers of the film made in jest, it was the failure to invent a solid hover board prototype that is most disappointing.
The technology for hover boards is not yet here. But self-tying shoes? Maybe next year, Marty.
2. The Next President of the United States Is…
At the end of 2014, Americans thought that Jeb Bush had the GOP candidacy in the bag. The prediction was made in a Reuters article that said that “Bush will end 2015 as the Republican frontrunner – but only narrowly.”
This is the perfect example of a hilariously inaccurate prediction. Bush might have been a safe bet back in 2014 but he is barely hanging on in a race that, one year ago, should have been his. Of course, no one could see Donald Trump coming right out of the left field.
Considering Trump threatened to run for president several times before, perhaps someone might have seen this coming.
3. Lack Of Street Lights Will Lead To More Crime
Our slow climb out of the recent economic downturn has seen governments around the world continue to implement austerity measures to save money and cut costs. One these measures, implemented by councils across the UK towards the end of last year was to turn off street lights.
This prompted many police officials and politicians to raise concern that this would lead to more crime and traffic accidents. Six months later, it appears none of these predictions for 2015 have come true. A study conducted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in partnership with University College London looked at the effects of switching lights off permanently, reducing the number of hours that lamps are switched on at night, dimming lights, and replacing traditional lamps with energy-efficient LED lamps.
The conclusions were surprising to many. There was no evidence of an association between reduced lighting and increased crime. This was a cause for celebration for many environmentalists who have been complaining about unnecessary light pollution for many years.
That does not mean we’ll see less and less street lighting going into 2016. In the same year, New York City produced a report that seemed to show the myriad benefits of using LED lights instead, which can both help reduce costs and allow for the implementation of “smart lights” – lights that only come on when a pedestrian or a car is in the vicinity.
4. Mom Jeans Are Still Not Cool
In 2014, Goldman Sachs got together with Vogue to let the world know what the next big fashion trends would be. The pair told the world that 2015 would be the year of the “Mom Jean”, a cropped, high-waist jean that you would associate with a rerun of Full House rather than high fashion. The dynamic duo told the world that this would be the exploding trend of the year.
Normcore had its moments this year but the mom jean is still not a viable, long-term fashion trend.
It seems that Goldman Sachs should stick to what it is good at and leave the fleeting fashion trends to the likes of Urban Outfitters.
5. You Thought You’d Be Rich
The rise of the mom jean was a bit funny depending on what side of the looking glass you were on. But the most hilariously inaccurate prediction for 2015 was that this year would be the year that Americans would be paid the amount of money they needed to pay their bills.
The idea was that there was a growth in jobs and in competition– this would then spur employers to pay employees fair wages in order to attract and keep staff.
Laughably, the pay increases in the United States rose at the slowest pace on record. In the second quarter of the year, wages rose 0.2%. That is the smallest growth since they started keeping track of wage growth in 1982.
It seems that being able to afford the rising costs of buying cheap coffee is something that Americans can possibly look forward to next year.
From where you sit now, it looks like the world is moving back in time. The predictions from 1985 have not been realized, despite the attempts to recreate the era through dress. Thankfully for pundits and clairvoyants alike, there is always next year.
Featured photo credit: Christian Schnettelker via flickr.com
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