Do you think this book predicts the future?

[Kibet Hillary]

In my opinion, everything is possible in this world. Of course, the US is not The God that it will never lose power, or let me put it this way that the US would not lose power but a country more powerful than the US would rise

this is a nice point and funny as well. You brought it out in a light manner.

[Sydsalms]

I don't think this book predicts the future of our country. The government is powerful but the people are a huge part of how our country is run. I believe that there are more good people than corrupt in this country and because of that the government will not fail.

[Pawan Raghuvanshi]

It's not really predicts future . It is the author's feelings which is shown in the book.

[a9436]

Given the political climate and economic situation I would say it is definitely a possibility, but I could not put a percentage on the likelihood. The most realistic part for me was the technology.

[EvaDar]

I like that this conversation is happening - feels important. I think we, in the U.S., are beginning to see that our democracy may really be in trouble, and we aren't sure how it ends. I haven't finished the book, but I can see some of the dystopian themes coming to life, if things don't change. Thanks for the topic.

[Nanig83006]

While things may not go according to the events in World, Incorporated, it highly possible America could lose power. It would be arrogant to believe it never could. Nothing stays the same forever. Things are always changing and adapting. While the events are plausible we can only hope they don't become our reality. The timeline in the novel falls during my lifetime and from what I see in society today, the chance is likelier than many want to believe.

[Aloha6]

As more I read more books that are dystopian in nature usually involves bringing down capitalism and reform in a somewhat socialism ideal with one group that oversees the rest of the population. The more I accept the idea that it could become a reality one day, and is that a form of propaganda or ability to brainwash us citizens in dormancy? So, I wouldn't say that World, Incorporated isn't relativity possible but its unlikely. With our current government, they are probably in cahoots with big corporates but not as what everyone may think. I would like to think with corporates and big business' love of rules, rigidity, and schedule that they would prefer to keep the ideal of sink or swim toward setting up a business. Rules and regulations are something that our government usually abides at and they would have put polices in order to prevent something like corporate takeover from happening anytime soon.

[Rafaella Michailidou]

Whenever I read a post-apocalyptic book or watch a post-apocalyptic movie I get this feeling. Sometimes the "near future world" that writer imagine are very possible scenarios and that gives me the chills. Perhaps America will lose its power, perhaps it will be a WW3 ( I hope not). Books like that scare you a little but they also give you a happy end, most of the times.

[Hope_Queen]

I don't think it predicts future

[hobobishop 117]

The book is broad in it's assessment, and the fun part of any cyberpunk is to compare it to the real world. To say that Gariffo is trying to predict the future would be a bit much for my taste. For instance, I don't think that a government based solely on consumerism would get very far, because economics is already a very complex subject and the debate for how GDP and currency in general should be handled is still thrown into question to this day. There are a lot of people who say that importing is bad vs importing is fundamental. We've been raised to believe that competition is a necessity for growth and yet we discourage it on a fundamental level. There are too many assumptions the book implies were necessary to have the corporate run country. This book does the one thing I wish more cyberpunk stories would do, in that Gariffo explains how exactly the corporate overlords came into power, but running a country is not as simple as having faith in a credit system. There is a reason that political studies and economics are two vastly different topics of study. I will say though, that the torture and sick use of human assets has actually happened before by the American government. My friend is doing a study on MK Ultra that was disbanded, and they released a thesis statement. I am not kidding when I say that a majority of the paper is covered in black ink while the rest is pretty terrifying.

[AmySmiles]

I don’t believe the United States will ever lose power. It’s the most powerful country and I think will stay that way.

Let's hope so, but you never know.

[Ravinder+Kaur]

Everything will depend on collective belief of the citizens because they are the one who will decide about the future. Present day governments and corporates only can try to shape their belief.

I agree with you.Though the book is only meant for entertainment, yet the people can take steps to secure their future.

[Oulababe]

World, Incorporated depicts the country of United States, which is no longer ruling the world. The unrest and intolerance in present day America is a clear indication that the future is not as secure as the government wants us to believe. Do you think it is a possibility that the country of United States would lose its power in the near future? Do you think the world created by Tom Gariffo is a possibility? Why do you think so? Why not?

I enjoyed this book a lot and I think that this dystopia is just one possible future for the united states. It's the way they continue to live that will determine the possibility of this being their future.

[Joe Hadithi]

Money rules the world, period. Not America, not North Korea but simply hard cash. I think that in the future, the country or corporation with the most money will rule the world.

[wallegator]

I thought the downfall of the U.S. government, and the author's explanation, completely plausible, unfortunately. Do I think it will happen? No, but the author does make a case for this as a possibility.