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Gerald Celente’s TRENDSJOURNAL.COM | FORECASTING WORLDWIDE SINCE 1980 | DECEMBER 2018
HISTORY BEFORE IT HAPPENS ®
2019
Top
Trends
PECIAL REPORT
S
IN THIS ISSUE
HISTORY BEFORE
IT HAPPENS ®
Top Trends 2019
®
Editor and Publisher
Gerald Celente
Global forecaster Gerald Celente has released his Top Trends for 2019, offering detailed,
Executive Editor
Derek Osenenko essential predictions that will touch nearly every aspect of our daily lives and reach across the
Contributing Editors globe, helping the “aware and the awake” to see “History Before It Happens®.”
Richard Fusco
Bennett Daviss More than just descriptions of 10 powerful trends what will occur in the year
Office Manager ahead, these forecasts underscore the risks and the many opportunities that lie
Bryan Boova ahead. They go beyond headline news to deliver a portrait of what will change
Illustrations and how as 2019 unfolds.
Anthony Freda The Top Trends for 2019 are a road map of the future, pinpointing the critical
Design turns and detours ahead… providing guidance to Prepare, Prosper and Prevail
Creative Circle in the year ahead you won’t get from any other source.
Media Solutions, In 2018, from declining equity markets and economies globally, to the diving
East Providence, RI value of cryptocurrencies, to the rising number of explosive geopolitical trends
threatening social unrest, to powerful social trends that will dramatically alter
Gerald Celente the status quo for many and much more, the foundation has been set for a wild
All rights reserved. For permission
ride in 2019.
to reproduce or translate material
from The Trends Journal®, con- Know what to expect. Be prepared. Read our Top Trends for 2019.
tact The Trends Research Institute.
The Trends Journal (ISSN 1065-
2094) is published monthly by
The Trends Research Institute.
©2018. Globalnomics, Trends
2019 TOP TRENDS SPECIAL REPORT
Journal, Trend Alert, Trends in The
News, History Before it Happens
and Presidential Reality Show • Economic 9/11 2 • Ready to Explode 14
are registered trademarks of the
Trends Research Institute. • Human Waves 2019 5 • Get High, Get Healthy 17
The Trends Research Institute
P.O. Box 3476 • America: Puritan 2.0 7 • Blessed are the Geeks 20
Kingston, NY 12402
845 331-3500
• Censorship 2019 10 • Gen Z=Gen Zero 22
www.trendsresearch.com
• Bye, Bye Boomers 12 • Dying Brands 24
TRENDING 26
Longevity New sight Robots talk New energy Fat gene Socially
science in Manufactured to robots vehicles Is obesity minded
a worm replacement Wifi without Electric cars genetic? Younger
eyes on the way electronics could be their investors are
Breakthroughs
own batteries banking on
in life extension
social causes
THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018
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Economic 9/11
On September 19, two days before U.S. equity markets hit new highs, we alerted
Trends Journal subscribers to prepare for an “Economic 9/11.”
The Central Bankers, the economic terrorists who we had forecast in November 2016, it would push
have, by their policies, engineered every boom bust currencies lower, weaken economies and sink equity
cycle over the past 100 years, would strike again. markets across the globe. And that is precisely what
Having artificially pumped up the global economy has occurred.
with negative/zero interest rates and Quantitative In just a few weeks after making our “Economic
Easing monetary methadone following the Panic of 9/11 forecast,” the Nasdaq slumped 9 percent, its big-
’08, the $250 trillion global debt bomb they created is gest drop since the Panic of ’08, and the S&P 500 lost
ready to explode. 7 percent, its worst month since September 2011.
In fact, last December, in one of our Top Trends for As we go to press, both indexes are in correction
2018, “Market Shock, Mass Murder,” we warned that territory, down over 10 percent. And the Dow, which
rising U.S. interest rates and a strengthening dollar at one point was up more than 8 percent for 2018, has
would not only signal the end of the Trump Rally erased its gains for the year and also is in correction
2 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018
top trends 2019
posite Index is down over 25 percent and keeps fall-
ing. Overall, the MSCI Asia-Pacific Index has plunged
into bear territory, losing over $5 trillion this year.
Japan, with its Gross Domestic Product falling at an
annualized pace of 2.5 percent in 3 months through
September, is also in economic decline despite its
central bank’s bond buying spree and negative in-
terest rate cheap money injections. In fact, Bank of
Japan’s total holdings hit $4.9 trillion, which is bigger
than the country’s annual GDP.
And in Europe, despite its central bank injecting
some $4 trillion in Quantitative Easing monetary
meth for almost four years to pump up the economy
(which is now ending), its third quarter GDP growth
of .02 percent was the weakest in four years.
On the market front, the DAX index of 30 com-
panies is in bear territory, plunging over 20 percent
from its January high, while the FTSE 100 is down 10
percent, its worst performance since the peak of the
2012 eurozone crisis.
On the Emerging Market front, the MSCI Emerg-
ing Market stock index has tumbled 25 percent from
its January peak.
And while the United States’ relatively strong GDP
and employment numbers suggest a healthy econ-
omy, the total debt incurred by Americans hit an-
other record in the last quarter rising to $13.5 trillion.
Markets on monetary territory, while the small cap stocks entered bear mar- And with total household debt now $837 billion
methodone. ket territory, with Russell 2000 benchmark down 20 higher than its 2008 peak, when the last recession
Anthony Freda
percent from its August high. hit, America, like the rest of world, cannot take
And on the global scale, with much of the world’s higher interest rates.
$250 trillion debt dollar based, as the dollar grows Further, U.S. durable goods orders fell 4.4 percent
stronger and global currencies get weaker, the cost in October, the largest decline in 15 months, and the
burden of servicing that debt grows heavier. third successive month of decline.
Also as forecast, economies worldwide are slowing, And mortgage refinance applications hit an 18-year
stagnating and/or falling into recession. low in the U.S. this November. Since the Federal Re-
In China, the world’s second largest economy, third serve raised rates a mere .25 basis points in Septem-
quarter GDP growth has slowed to Panic of ‘08 levels, ber, mortgage applications have steadily declined.
auto sales are on track for their first annual sales de- With rates at their highest point in eight years for
cline since the 1990s, and retail sales grew in Novem- mortgage refinances, volume is down a whopping
ber at their slowest pace in 15 years. 40 percent since a year ago. Subsequently, shares of
Reflecting the economic pain, the Shanghai Com- homebuilders stocks have slumped nearly 30 percent.
With some $250 trillion in global debt, much of it dollar based,
as the dollar grows stronger and global currencies get weaker,
the cost burden of servicing that debt grows heavier.
Subsequently, as forecast, economies worldwide are slowing,
stagnating and/or falling into recession.
3 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018
top trends 2019
newyorkfed.org
Student loan delinquencies are up, new car loan the mainstream media continually attributes equity
applications are down, as are credit card applica- market volatility and global economic slowdowns to
tions… virtually every financial indicator related to U.S.-China trade wars and tariffs.
credit availability and affordability, is down. As we In fact, there is no trade war and “Tariff Man” Trump’s
have consistently demonstrated, based on the facts imposed tariffs only account for 0.7 percent of China’s
and our daily trend-tracking analysis, the world, in- GDP, while the U.S. trade deficit widened for the fifth
cluding the U.S., cannot taker higher interest rates. straight month in October, with the deficit now bigger
In India, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s than it has been in 10 years.
war of words for the Reserve Bank of India not to Yet, for example, as China’s economy slows to an ex-
raise interest rates, third quarter Gross Domestic pected 6.3 percent in 2019, its real estate market cools,
Product fell to 7.1 percent from 8.2 percent in the luxury goods purchases fall, auto sales plunge 13 percent
second quarter. in October and the Chinese stock market index slumps
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Since the beginning of this year, deep into bear territory, the business media still blames
and now at the end year, following Donald Trump’s and the declines on trade tensions with Washington rather
Xi Jinping discussions at the December G-20 conference, than basic economic fundamentals.
TREND FORECAST
In 2019, “Economic 9/11” is poised to strike and boost failing economies and financial markets.
cause equity and market meltdowns worldwide. Yet this time, considering the $250 trillion mas-
What can pause the crash? At this juncture, the sive debt load weighing down the global economy,
same measures that were taken that have artifi- another monetary drug fix will only push markets
cially pumped up stock and real estate markets to up temporarily before they OD.
soaring heights following the Panic of ’08: Cheap Therefore, as the economic health of these
Money. More rounds of lowering interest rates money-drugged induced economies worsens,
and more trillions of Quantitative Easing. demand for gold, the ultimate safe-haven asset
Indeed, it was not basic economic fundamentals will increase. We maintain our forecast that gold
that put the world on the path of recovery follow- prices’ bottom range is around $1,200 per ounce
ing the Great Recession. It was the central banks and prices will not spike until gold solidifies above
injecting heavy doses of monetary methadone to $1,450 per ounce.
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Syrian refugees flee their war-torn country.
Shutterstock
Human Waves 2019
Across the continents, millions of desperate people are fleeing their homelands, risking
their lives and those of their loved ones in hopes of finding a promising future.
While it is headline news today, particularly in corruption and high crime rates, both the press and
the United States with the human caravan leaving politicians ignore the Coup d’état regime changes
Central America and President Trump’s vow to not and covert American influence in Central America
let them enter the United States, the Human Wave that has destabilized many countries in the region.
trend has been long in the making and one that the Also, virtually absent in media coverage are the
Trends Research Institute and Gerald Celente have American-led wars against Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria,
been tracking and forecasting for over two decades. Libya, etc., which have destroyed nations, killed mil-
Yet, whether in the U.S. or the millions of migrants lions and displaced tens of millions.
and refugees escaping the Middle East and Africa And as with Libya, a war launched by Nobel Peace
flooding into Europe, the manner in which this trend prize winner U.S. President Barack Obama, along
is being reported by the media often omits the causes with Prime Minister David Cameron of the U.K. and
of the Great Migration. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, long forgotten
For example, while they note the abject poverty, are both the warning and the consequences of their
5 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018
top trends 2019
violent acts of mass destruction that sunk Libya into SAUDI SAVAGERY
chaos and a launch pad for migration: And the three-year-old civil war against Houthi
rebels in Yemen, being carried out by Saudi Arabia,
“Now listen, you people of NATO,” wrote Muam-
and its coalition of the killing, including the U. S., the
mar Gadhafi a few months before he was killed in
United Arab Emirates, the U.K., Canada, France and
2011. “You’re bombing a wall which stood in the
other nations, has resulted in the deaths of as many
way of African migration to Europe, and in the
as 56,000 innocent civilians from direct bombings
way of Al-Qaeda terrorists. This wall was Libya.
and more than 80,000 from famine resulting from
You’re breaking it. You’re idiots, and you will burn
the war.
in Hell for thousands of migrants from Africa and
As millions seek refuge away from the killing, dis-
for supporting Al-Qaeda. It will be so. I never lie.
ease and starvation in Yemen, the United Nations
And I do not lie now.”
declared it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Subsequently, as reported in our Spring, 2011 Starving children, families suffering cholera and
Trends Journal, the “idiots” paid the consequences: other diseases spreading by the day throughout the
“In March 2011, the first wave of the human tsu- region … Yemen is a destroyed nation with a massive
nami washed ashore. Tens of thousands of desper- homeless population seeking shelter and safety.
ate refugees fleeing North Africa and the Middle In 2019, as millions of refugees continue to flee
East made landfall in the nearest Italian port. By war-torn, violent, politically- and economically-op-
mid-April, the UN reported that more than a half- pressed countries seeking safety, they will be greeted
million people had fled Libya in the preceding two by “Not Welcome Here” signs by the countries they
months, and as Qaddafi warned, it worsened. “ wish to enter.
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Refugees have gathered in Aristotelous Square in Syrian Thessaloniki, Greece, waiting to be formally arrested and gain temporary
residence in the European Union country.
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And in the two decades since Celente made his Five-O
forecast, another 1.6 billion people were added to the
planet … and ultimately the workforce.
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Throughout Central America, hundreds of thou-
sands of migrants are fleeing their economically
depressed countries that are ruled and ruined by cor-
rupt, dysfunctional governments, to seek safety and
job opportunities.
In Venezuela, once one of the most prosperous na-
tions of Latin America, but now suffering deep eco-
nomic depression, violence and social degradation,
has some 3,000 citizens fleeing the country every
day. And the U. N. estimates 2 million Venezuelans
will emigrate in 2019.
Overall, across the globe, according to the Interna- Shutterstock
tional Rescue Committee there are over 20 million Hundreds of immigrants are waiting at the border
between Greece and FYROM waiting for the right
refugees, with the majority fleeing the Middle East, time to continue their journey from unguarded
Africa and South America. passages.
MORE PEOPLE THAN JOBS tion was 1.6 billion. Today, the world’s population
Among the socioeconomic dynamics driving the is 7.6 billion. And in the two decades since Celente
Human Wave crisis is the Five-O Formula identified made his Five-O forecast, another 1.6 billion people
by global trend forecaster Gerald Celente 20 years were added to the planet … and ultimately the work-
ago. force.
In forecasting the macro trends that will shape the Across the globe, beyond the wars, violence and
21st century economy, he cited a new set of equa- corruption, even in the most civilized countries, the
tions defined by market forces that did not exist in story is the same: More workers in the labor forces
the 20th. Celente defined those factors as: than jobs available. This is one of the major factors
Overproduction—there are more products and driving the massive migrant trend: People fleeing
services than can be consumed. their countries looking for work. And, as populations
Overcapacity— there is a glut of advanced fa- continue to increase, there will be a greater supply of
cilities and excess service capabilities to supply the workers than the demand for jobs, thus adding fur-
world market place with more than can be con- ther downward pressure on wages.
sumed. In the new world of high-tech innovations such as
Open Markets—a borderless new millennial mar- robotics, Artificial Intelligence, online retail and ser-
ketplace provides products and services free from vices, etc., from top to bottom, jobs will be replaced
traditional economic channels. and the pay scale will continue to be lowered. TJ
Overpopulation— companies are now positioned
to exploit a 6-billion-plus labor pool without geo-
graphic constraints. TREND FORECAST
Online—a planet full of browsers will enable and
As economies decline and personal incomes
drive a universal economic culture of cheap product drop, such as in France, which is experiencing
and service production supported by cheap labor its most volatile social uprising since the 1960s,
expenses. anti-immigration/anti-establishment movements
will escalate as populist parties defeat entrenched
EXPLODING POPULATION political parties.
At the start of the last century, the world’s popula-
7 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018
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more conservative social values in recent years.
Missamerica.org
The Miss America pageant is one of many organizations to start adopting
America:
Puritan 2.0
God Bless America. The land of the politically correct.
A nation at constant war. And, since it launched is the five-letter hashtag marking the rapid rise of the
the War on Terror in 2001, has spent $6 trillion to kill #Metoo movement that went viral in 2017.
and maim millions of innocent civilians and destroy Alleged sexual predator Harvey Weinstein and Bill
entire nations. Cosby, who was convicted of three counts of sexual
Yes, politically correct America! So correct that not assault, were indeed the trigger points to flesh out
one politician running for national office in the 2018 countless allegations and examples of sexual harass-
midterm elections uttered a word about such a trivial ment, abuse and assault.
issue as America’s endless murderous, costly wars. From Hollywood, to the halls of government, to
There were much more important issues to ad- corporate offices and across the media landscape,
dress. Instead it was an election mostly framed on resignations, firings and public debasing took down
identity politics issues. And prominent among them the men who abused their power to abuse women.
8 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018
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But now, despite the validity of many claims and
the abhorrent violations committed by many men, a
one-size fits-all mindset has generalized personal ex-
periences; bosses, co-workers or the powerful in suits
become victims based on unsubstantiated allegations
that fuel an environment of fear and paranoia:
• A male college professor refuses to meet with any
of his female students in private, only with some
third-party, college employee present.
• A seasoned male lawyer refuses to mentor a fe-
male law student intern unless she’s paired with a Welcome to “Puritan America.”
male intern. The MeToo movement is only the latest in a series
of identity issues that have redirected the American
• A financial consultant taking a cross-country
psyche from one of “make love not war,” to “make
business trip with a female co-worker asks that
war, not love.”
they sit apart on the flight.
Fulfilling its “make war” passion, in the U.S.
And this past July, former U.S. President Barack midterm elections, while no peace candidate was
Obama, speaking to students at the African Leader- championed into office, eleven military-intelligence
ship Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa told Democratic candidates won House seats.
them, “Every day I read the newspaper and just think
like ‘Brothers, what’s wrong with you guys? What’s SLAUGHTERHOUSE
wrong with us? We’re violent, we’re bullying … Men In the uptight America, at every level of discourse,
are getting on my nerves.” freedom of expression can no longer be freely ex-
With an arrogant, single about-face breath, Obama pressed. George Washington warned: “If freedom of
who, when as President in 2013 was denounced by speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may
feminists for complimenting the physical beauty of be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
Kamala Harris shortly after lauding her professional Welcome to the slaughterhouse. As evidenced by
achievements, took a cheap politically correct shot by the censorship trends imposed upon those consid-
denouncing the entire male gender as “violent” and ered politically incorrect by the social media mo-
“bullying.” nopolies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter who
Obama speaking in
Johannesburg, SA.
obama.org
9 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
banish all voices and movements from left to right
that do not adhere to their divine belief systems...
what George Washington had warned is now a living
reality.
Mel Brooks, just one of
What has become standard practice with America
the many comedians
and Europe’s great trading partner, Communist warning that the
China, in terms of government control of free speech move toward political
across media platforms, is being embraced by western correctness is killing
comedy.
“Democracies.” (See, “Censored: A vicious trend to gag
Wikipedia
independent media,” Trends Journal, October 2018).
beyond the gender divide, splitting, dismantling and
upending nearly every aspect of American life, from
SEX DOESN’T SELL
home, to school, to business, to media and entertain-
As the political, cultural and social divides sharpen,
ment.
so too does intolerance toward what is perceived as
On the entertainment front, proper comedy must
being sexist or otherwise socially inappropriate:
be pristine clean, Puritan pure and politically correct.
"Sex Is No Longer Selling for Victoria’s Secret Veteran comedian Mel Brooks said “PC culture”
Victoria’s Secret was once the trend setter in that prohibits offensive language or actions, par-
the world of women’s undergarments ... Now the ticularly as it refers to race, creed or gender is killing
brand selling sexiness – or at least, a particular vi- comedy. “We have become stupidly politically cor-
sion of sexiness – has lost its appeal." rect, which is the death of comedy. Comedy has to
– The Wall Street Journal, 19 November 2018. walk a thin line, take risks,” said Brooks.
From undergarments to outer garments, even Both Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock announced
beauty contests don’t want women to wear that sexy they will not play colleges citing overly politically cor-
“itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini.” rect attitude of college audiences.
In recent years both the Miss World and Miss Seinfeld says “I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t
America pageants eliminated their bathing suit com- go near colleges. They’re so PC.” He says teens and
petitions. After being accused of anti-feminist, the college-aged kids don’t understand what it means to
Miss America contest will now focus on the woman’s throw around certain politically-correct terms. “They
mind rather than body. just want to use these words: ‘That’s racist;’ ‘That’s
Having now become more rigid in its political sexist;’ ‘That’s prejudice,’” he said. “They don’t know
correctness, the political and cultural divide in the what the hell they’re talking about.”
United States has added new, powerful dimensions Rock said he stopped doing shows at colleges
because they were “too conservative.” “Not in their
political views,” Rock clarified. “But in their social
TREND FORECAST views and their willingness not to offend anybody.
You can’t even be offensive on your way to being in-
Welcome to Puritan America. Watch what you say, how you say it, where
offensive.”
you say it, when you say it and who you say it to. And most importantly,
Verifying Seinfeld's and Rock's take on today's col-
what you think.
lege mentality, in December, former "SNL" writer
Major issues affecting society from the nations’ dysfunctional govern-
ments, rotted infrastructures, to the chemical laden poisonous water that Ninesh Patel, who was invited to perform at Co-
will kill you if you drink it, air you can’t breathe, to dirty deals that politi- lumbia University's culture SHOCK event, had his
cians deal … are just minor matters when compared to the identity politics microphone cut off for "inappropriate" remarks that
issues. being "gay cannot be a choice because no one looks
A nation dying of both illegal and legal drug abuse. A nation whose in the mirror and thinks this black thing is too easy;
educational standards steadily fall when compared to other countries. A let me just add another thing to it."
nation whose population’s health and wealth rapidly decline, are secondary And this November, it was announced that
to identity politics issues. comedy would be banned at the White House Cor-
The unconscious of America is projecting its guilt over its murderous, respondents’ Dinner. The hosting organization de-
illegal wars, deteriorating living standards, a melting middle class and a creed that telling jokes at its annual black-tie event
society that supports lying, corrupt political leaders by imposing Puritan
was prohibited. Instead, the main act will be an his-
standards to wash away the sins it won’t face or atone.
torian speaking on the First Amendment. TJ
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Censorship 2019
Freedom of speech? Freedom of Expression? Forget about it! From the United States
to China, from New Zealand to Nepal, Censorship is a megatrend.
For well over a year, social media giants and gov- trend of free speech and an assault on First Amend-
ernments have been silencing voices that challenge ment rights barely made the headline news until
establishment agendas. media giants Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Ins-
For example, last September, the World Socialist tagram unplugged the Alex Jones show and his IN-
Web Site (WSWS.org) accused Google of censoring FOWARS media operation during the summer.
left-wing, anti-war and socialist web sites, stating However, despite claims such censorship mea-
“Stop the censorship of the Internet! Stop the politi- sures were targeting “extremists” and “conspiracy
cal blacklisting of the World Socialist Web Site!” theorists,” as we have detailed, America, like many
Earlier this year, the European Commission gave nations has been silencing voices that challenge es-
Google, Facebook and Twitter, three months to tablishment agendas. (See "Media Censorship Trend
demonstrate that they were removing “extremist” to Escalate," Trends Journal, September 2018)
content more rapidly, or face legislation forcing them Helping to lead the censorship charge, Facebook,
to do so. has undertaken a massive purge of watchdog, politi-
But the extent of the ongoing censorship mega- cal, opinion-driven and alternative media accounts
11 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
The monopolists that dominate the social media that the
world uses and depends on, have made it clear – in both
written statements and at government hearings – that
they will decide what’s best for you.
Another characteristic of the trend is that the so-
cial media police state shows no particular political
or content leanings in its ongoing purge. Lean left
or right, if you express unconventional viewpoints
or contradict, challenge or circumvent the establish-
ment, the plug could be pulled.
In the United States, which promotes the free
Facebook's Mark
Zuckerberg speaking speech myth while stifling real free speech (as evi-
at the F8 developers denced by the recent overt censorship trends by the
conference in the tech giants), just five mega-corporations monopolize
wake of the Cambridge
Analytics fiasco. over 90 percent of the broadcast media. They control
Wikipedia the message and champion their own messengers.
The monopolists that dominate the social media
for “inauthentic behavior” content. that the world uses and depends on, have made it
Just weeks before the November midterm elections clear – in both written statements and at government
in the United States, Facebook, without warning and hearings – that they will decide what’s best for you.
with only scant, flimsy explanations, unplugged 800 They determine what’s credible and what isn’t. They
accounts because, they alleged, these accounts were will tell you what content you can see, hear and share.
“working to mislead others about who they are, and These tech giants have pledged their allegiance to
what they are doing.” governments to aggressively and relentlessly silence
But the vast majority of the pages were indepen- what they deem are the “bad actors” for violating
dent media platforms. Some advocated for legal their self-proclaimed, ever-changing policies.
marijuana, others promoted political candidates, still What policies? Who makes these decisions? What
others were political or social commentary sites and about Freedom of Speech? Not in Amerika. The Fed-
others were watchdog sites, monitoring police vio- eral Government has decided not to intervene and
lence or government overspending. provide oversight of the censorship wave spreading
One characteristic of the Censorship 2019 trend across social media.
is the immediacy in which platforms are unplugged Federal Trade Commissioner (FTC) Noah Phil-
and the lack of accountability for why these sites are lips has said he would not use the agency’s antitrust
wiped away, other than vague references to over gen- authority to address Facebook, Google, and Twitter’s
eralized and highly objective policy rules. censorship practices. TJ
TREND FORECAST
Governments across the globe, regardless of what sites to circumvent the government/media mo-
political doctrine they profess, in collusion with nopolies.
social media giants, will accelerate the Censorship Beyond the issues of censorship, the Internet
2019 trend. has and will serve as the launch pad for major
While Google, Facebook and Twitter will populist revolutions against established political
dominate market share for the foreseeable future, parties, multi-nationals and globalist interests.
market gaps will widen. They’re ready to be filled New web sites and hosting companies “of the
by nimble, trustworthy First Amendment-driven people, by the people and for the people” will gain
OnTrendpreneurs® having 2020 foresight to host healthy market share.
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A record-setting number of seniors over 70 are still working.
Shutterstock
Bye, Bye Boomers
The Baby Boomer Generation are babies no more! From Davy Crockett and Leave it to
Beaver, to Dick Clark, the Beatles and Motown, they are now heading to Notown.
Broke, busted, overweight, how many will live DOWN AND OUT
with their children, die at home alone or end up as Across the globe, the negative financial difficulties
inmates in nursing homes? many boomers are now facing have steadily evolved
How many of the boomers will live long healthy, since the Panic of ’08. When the Great Recession hit,
wealthy and wise lives? large numbers of boomers lost their homes, their
While The Bye Bye Boomer trend shines a bright savings and many were laid off prematurely from
light on the dismal state many seniors find them- their life-long careers … the sustained downward
selves in… broke, sick, depressed and dependent, for trending is intensifying and expanding well beyond
those that accentuate the positive and reverse the personal finances to myriad quality of life issues.
negatives – although the end is growing near and As with all age groups there are several health and
there are always the wild cards of ups and downs that wealth layers. For Baby Boomers, those born be-
can disrupt the best laid plans – the on-trend boom- tween 1946 and 1964, who once helped shape popu-
ers will pass on in peace and harmony. lar culture, societal norms and advance social change,
13 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
fast food workers and housekeeping attendants.
Unable to supplement their income, bankruptcy
rates among seniors are skyrocketing, growing at a
rate that outpaces by at least two-to-one every other
age group. More than 100,000 of the 800,000 an-
nual bankruptcy filings are from households headed
by seniors in the U.S.
Longevity and fitness
centers tailored to
boomers are on the rise. DOING MORE WITH LESS
Shutterstock A study by Pew Research Center found that 52
while many are living well in over 55 plus-senior percent of U.S. citizens in their 60s are either finan-
communities – having retired with pensions, benefits cially supporting a parent or being supported by their
and investments – many more are facing tough, and offspring.
often impossible, choices. They’re grappling with These financial conditions have generated strong
financial, health, emotional and personal hardships growth in the co-habitation trend, in which some 32
unimagined in their idealistic youth. percent of all adults who share households are over
Most notable, U.S. studies show that only about the age of 70. Beyond just two boomers sharing a
half of boomers entering retirement age have any house or apartment, we forecast shared household
savings at all and three quarters of retirees are under- arrangements in which numerous boomers will be
funded, with not enough money to make ends meet. living under one roof: Boarding Houses 2.0.
Unlike their parents’ generation, many of whom
retired at around 65 years of age or earlier, because UNHEALTHY BODY MEANS UNHEALTHY FINANCES
so many boomers are cash strapped, today’s seniors Adding to the dismal plight of many Boomers is
have to keep working. In the U.S., more than 9 mil- the dawn of an unprecedented era of chronic poor
lion senior citizens over the age of 70 are in the work health. Among the conditions that are rising at his-
force, the vast majority of them in service jobs. toric rates are: diabetes, heart failure, cancer, circula-
In fact, 23 percent of men and about 15 percent of tory conditions, kidney and liver diseases and related
women ages 65 and older are still in the labor force, illnesses.
and these levels are projected to rise to 27 percent Today, more than 25 percent of Americans over
and 20 percent respectively by 2020. the age of 65 have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Moreover, many others in that age group are not Astoundingly, some 70 percent of boomers are over-
able to work because a majority of available positions weight, and nearly 40 percent are clinically obese.
require some level of physical ability seniors can’t at- As a result, they will be far more dependent on
tain…like standing on their feet for hours as cashiers, others and government subsidies to survive. In fact,
in the U.S., public health care expenses are expected
to rise nearly six percent this year as a direct result
TREND FORECAST of the increased spending necessary to cover the
The world is not prepared for the impact the Bye, Bye Boomers trend is escalating number of boomers enrolling in Medicare
about to unleash. health insurance programs.
The golden years for millions of seniors in 2019 will be marked more by
how to survive rather than how to thrive. As noted, the data in virtually DEAF, BLIND AND OUT OF THEIR MIND
every area that determines quality of life for seniors is negative and trend- Latest estimates project that 1 in 10 people older
ing more negative. than 65 have developed features of Alzheimer’s
And the institutions and legacy support systems designed to help alleviate disease and other forms of dementia. This is a pro-
the impact of these trends is woefully inadequate. gressive, irreversible, non-curable disease that will
Bye Bye Boomer is a macro, powerful trend. How seniors will house, feed
continue to worsen despite the best medical care.
and heal themselves are the three categories that demand creative, broad
And as their condition declines, they will need
thinking.
From shared living options, such as co-housing, which is a newly emerg- greater supervision and assistance. Dementia
ing trend, to affordable, effective whole health healing alternatives that can disorders will further tax already overburdened
improve the lifestyle of Golden Agers, there are numerous golden opportu- health care systems worldwide, most of which are
nities for Ontrendpreneurs®. ill equipped to provide medical care for these pa-
tients. TJ
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metropolis, obesity is everywhere.
Shutterstock
The virtually ubiquitous site, whether it be in a small town or bustling
Ready to Explode
It’s a rapidly growing American trend that is spreading across the globe: An obesity
epidemic that is spawning costly and devastating health, social, cultural and economic
conditions that will worsen in 2019 and beyond.
Despite what is being promoted on the surface as the food sold in retail channels. Indeed, a walk
a growing, promising healthy food movement, in through any major supermarket chain store shows
America, and in many other countries, more people how small the organic sections are and how limited
are becoming addicted to fast, processed food, laden the scope of product compared to the low quality,
with salt, sugar and unpronounceable chemicals highly processed, non-organic aisles that dominate.
with devastating results to health than those going On the fast food front, an industry that had only
all natural. $6 billion in revenue in 1970 and surged to over $200
While organic movements have grown substan- billion in 2017, while major chains promise fresher
tially over the last two decades, and the media keeps ingredients with less additives and more vegetables,
blasting how American’s food tastes have changed, for the most part, Americans keep gobbling down
organic in 2017 accounted for only 5.5 percent of burgers, fries and other fast food junk.
15 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
World map of male And it shows. Obesity is becoming an expected through their daily drills and military preparation.
obesity, 2016. norm. From middle America to the military ranks, So pervasive and growing is the obesity trend,
Wikipedia
coping not only with the physical and health effects that the U.S. government issued new guidelines for
of obesity but its emotional, societal and psychologi- maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including eating more
cal effects and their ramifications are forming the whole, and fewer processed foods and, less obvious,
Ready To Explode trend which is exploding into a incorporating exercise in spurts into daily routines.
public health emergency. The new guidelines paid particular attention to
children. Nearly 30 percent of boys and girls under
DYING YOUNGER age 20 are either obese or overweight, up from 19 per-
For example, in 2016, the latest year for which of- cent in 1980.
ficial data is available, U.S. ranked 43rd among 195 na- Overall, 180.5 million Americans—or 60.7 percent
tions with an average lifespan of 78.7 years. By 2040, of the nation’s population ages 2 and over—are either
Americans are forecast to only live 1.1 more years to obese or overweight. And among the 70 percent of
79.8, while dropping 21 spots in the global ranking to adults who are overweight, 40 percent of them are
64th, as other nations make faster gains, according to obese, compared to just 3.4 percent of adults back in
recently released data from the Institute for Health the 1960’s.
Metrics and Evaluation. The drop in the U.S. is the
most for high-income countries. FAT PRIDE
Indeed, life expectancy in the U.S. is expected to be Yet, in America today, as well as in the U.K. and
only slightly better than that of Bangladesh, a country other nations facing obesity epidemics, there are
with considerably lower income. Yet, Bangladesh will growing Fat Pride movements proclaiming there are
have made a significant stride of having 6.7 more no social, economic or health issues associated with
years in average life span by 2040. being overweight or obese.
The top five health drivers that explain most of the This past April, Lizzi Cernik, a journalist and fea-
future trajectory for premature mortality are high tures writer for The Guardian who covers relation-
blood pressure, high body mass index, high blood ships, travel and women’s issues, wrote a column
sugar, tobacco use, and alcohol use. entitled, “It’s not fine to be fat. Celebrating obesity is
Even in the military, where peak physicality was irresponsible,” stated:
once the norm, overweight-driven poor health is “No one should be bullied for their weight or food
pervasive. A recent study shows nearly 30 percent of choices, but ‘fat pride’ promotes dangerous weight
military members are overweight. Fat and tired, and levels. … as we move away from the skinny goals of
wrought with PTSD and other related psychological the mid-2000s and embrace different shapes and
disorders, they are turning to energy drinks to get sizes, one group of campaigners has taken things
16 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
Family obesity is
on the rise.
Shutterstock
a step too far. Fronted by plus-sized models and a new study, “America’s Obesity Crisis: The Health
social media influencers, the fat acceptance move- and Economic Costs of Excess,” authored by Hugh
ment aims to normalize obesity, letting everyone Waters and Marlon Graf, that found: In 2016, chronic
know that it’s fine to be fat. With terms such as diseases driven by the risk factor of obesity and over-
‘straight size’ and ‘fat pride’ proliferating, some weight accounted for $480.7 billion in direct health
influential figures are now even likening the valid care costs in the U.S., with an additional $1.24 trillion
concerns of health officials to hate crimes. in indirect costs due to lost economic productivity.
“The comedian Sofie Hagen recently accused The total cost of chronic diseases due to obesity
Cancer Research of bullying fat people, after the and overweight was $1.72 trillion—equivalent to 9.3
charity launched a campaign to raise aware- percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
ness about the link between cancer and obesity. Obesity as a risk factor is by far the greatest contribu-
Through a series of expletive-laden tweets, she tor to the burden of chronic diseases in the U.S., ac-
criticized the organization for its damaging mes- counting for 47.1 percent of the total cost of chronic
sages, claiming that fat didn’t equal unhealthy.” diseases nationwide.
However, contrary to Ms. Hagen’s belief, according Indeed, America, accounting for just 5 percent of
to recent reports, not only does fat ‘equal unhealthy,’ the world’s population is truly #1, weighing in with
it equals extremely costly. 13 percent of the total world overweight and obese
On 26 October 2018, The Milken Institute released people. TJ
TREND FORECAST
The effects of America’s and other nations’ ad- line until a new wave of self-consciousness and
diction to processed, low quality, junk food will self-confidence captures the American spirit.
continue to take its toll. However, trends are born, they grow, mature,
If, indeed, it is true that you are what you eat, is reach old age and die. While the Ready To Ex-
America’s low spirit, diminishing self esteem, lack plode trend is rapidly expanding, there will be
of dignity, absence of energy and drive to elevate ups and downs in its growth trajectory … both
to higher emotional, spiritual, physical and politi- personally and nationwide. Clearly, numerous op-
cal levels directly tied to the massive amounts of portunities exist for OnTrendpreneurs® to design/
highly processed, chemically laced, artificially col- provide products and services to assist the over-
ored/flavored food they eat and drink? weight and obese who will not lose weight, and
Therefore, at this time, there is no trajectory to for those who want to lose weight.
suggest a change in the Ready to Explode trend
17 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018TOP TRENDS 2019
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Kingston, N.Y.
Courtesy of High Times Magazine
Bradford Beckerman, CEO of Hennepen's, a hemp products company,
Get High,
Get Healthy
Imagine. It’s 1933 in America, Prohibition ends and it’s now legal to manufacture, sell and
drink alcohol and it’s the beginning of a booming industry.
In 2019, the legalization of marijuana in many palities, states and countries are voting for legaliza-
states and the new federal Farm Bill that will legalize tion.
hemp will open the floodgates of explosive growth In October, Canada became the latest country
for both the marijuana and hemp industries that, be- to legalize recreational marijuana, joining Uruguay
cause of their recreational, industrial and medicinal and the Netherlands where recreational pot is legal.
qualities, will be much bigger than booze. Marijuana is already legal for medical use in Austra-
Across the globe, it’s the same story: Resistance to lia, Puerto Rico, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia and
legalizing cannabis is weakening while more munici- Macedonia. And in Turkey, citizens are allowed to
18 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
clear path to legalization is widening.
That’s exactly how the trend is unfolding. Just as
with Prohibition, politicians made alcohol legal so
they could generate more money by making people
pay taxes to drink it. The same applies to hemp and
marijuana legalization. For example, Colorado, the
pioneer legalization state, is generating more tax rev-
enue from marijuana sales than on alcohol.
And the other aspect of “Reefer Money Madness”
we forecast was the medical benefits of marijuana
would increasingly be supported by science and, as a
result, more easily accepted and legalized. For thou-
sands of years, marijuana has been used to treat vari-
ous illnesses in cultures worldwide.
But the science is only now catching up to and
confirming what has been known for centuries:
Pot heals. Today, there is scientific proof that medi-
cal marijuana can help with neurological diseases,
cancer, depression, respiratory ailments, epilepsy
Marijuana costumed
attendee at the 2016 But the science is only and other medical conditions. That’s why medical
marijuana is being legalized at a faster rate than rec-
Southwest Cannabis
Conference & Expo in now catching up to and reational.
Phoenix, AZ
Wikipedia
confirming what has been FAST TRACK TO LEGALIZATION IN STATES
known for centuries: The likelihood of legalization in all 50 United
Pot heals. States or full federal legalization while not imminent
is on the radar. Currently, cannabis is illegal under
federal law for any purpose under the Controlled
grow marijuana for personal medical use. Substance Act of 1970 that classifies it as a Schedule
Even Mexico’s incoming government submitted a 1 substance putting it in the same category as Heroin
bill to allow medical marijuana and recreational use. and LSD.
The bill would also permit companies to grow and Under that determination, it is considered to have
sell marijuana, allow possession of up to 30 grams, a strong potential for abuse and addiction with no
and cultivation for private use. Smoking pot in public valid medical use prohibiting usage for recreational
places would also be permitted. or medical reasons. Some on Capitol Hill are pushing
In the United States, following the midterm to have cannabis rescheduled to a Schedule 2 drug,
elections, anyone over the age of 21 will be able to which would recognize its medical benefits but still
consume marijuana in 10 states and the District of with a strong potential for abuse.
Columbia, while 33 states now have laws legalizing Though this may be considered a positive develop-
medical marijuana. ment by some for medical usage, cannabis would
And following the passage of a law to legalize rec- still be a regulated substance and under full control
reational marijuana in Michigan, Maria McFarland of the FDA, which could impose its own restrictions
Sanchez-Moreno, the Executive Director of the Drug for medical usage and keep recreational usage totally
Policy Alliance, said: “Western and northeastern illegal. The FDA would control packaging and mar-
states have led the way on legalizing marijuana, but keting and would oversee growing, processing and
the victory in Michigan powerfully demonstrates the distribution.
national reach of this movement.” A more productive alternative for the industry
As we had forecast in December 2016, when we short of federal legalization would be to de-schedule
made “Reefer Money Madness” a Top Trend for 2017, cannabis. Earlier in 2018, Senate Minority Leader
with countries and municipalities worldwide ben- Chuck Schumer filed the Marijuana Freedom and
efitting from the tax revenue cannabis generates, a Opportunity Act, which would decriminalize mari-
19 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
there are currently 37 cannabis bills sitting in Congress
waiting to be evaluated by the various congressional
committees which would de-schedule cannabis and
wipe cannabis crimes from federal records.
juana and remove it from the Controlled Substances cludes former Republican governor of Massachusetts
Act entirely. Other similar bills have been intro- Bill Weld.
duced. Boehner’s turnabout, in particular, exemplifies why
In fact, there are currently 37 cannabis bills sitting cannabis will be a big industry in 2019: It’s about the
in Congress waiting to be evaluated by the various money to be made.
congressional committees which would de-schedule
cannabis and wipe cannabis crimes from federal re- BIG MONEY, BIG INDUSTRY
cords. In fact, the global legal pot industry is expected to
What is developing now is the end of the stigma reach $146 billion by end of 2025, according to Grand
of supporting marijuana legalization for politicians View Research, Inc., and the explosion in expected
on both sides of the aisle with the polls showing ma- revenue will create a booming job market. In the U.S.
jority support with Democrats, Republicans, young alone, the industry is expected to create 250,000 jobs,
and old people, and even former cannabis foes. For according to the research firm New Frontier Data.
example, Republican Former Speaker of the House Job opportunities will cover a wide spectrum, in-
and once stanch marijuana opponent John Boehner, cluding technology, product development, customer
who is now “all in” and is currently on the advisory service, health care management and more. Zip
board of a major marijuana company, which also in- Recruiter estimates that job growth stemming from
both legal recreational and medical marijuana will
outpace growth in the hottest job sectors, including
health care and technology.
Further, the 2018 Farm Bill, legalizing hemp culti-
vation in all 50 states, passed the House of Represen-
tatives in a 386-47 vote. The parallel hemp industry
is now positioned to experience explosive growth,
Medical Marijuana exceeding $22 billion by 2020.
comes in many forms Already an $800 million industry, hemp products
for many maladies
and is progressively range from apparel, food, health and well being rem-
becoming more edies to building materials. Moreover, in its many
accessible wherever configurations, the natural fiber will be recognized as
you may be living.
a replacement for a wide range of synthetic materi-
Shutterstock als, including plastics TJ
TREND FORECAST
In 2019, the cannabis industry breaks through, are added to the market, the demand for medical
making the transition from a strong entrepre- marijuana is expected to increase multiple folds
neurial and small business playing field to big over the forecast period.
industry. Moreover, the increasing number of companies
Medical marijuana is especially ripe for explo- operating in the marijuana market is expected to
sive growth. bolster the quantity, quality and variety of prod-
The number of conditions treated using medi- ucts that will further enhance and expand the
cal marijuana is growing rapidly, as new patients consumer base.
20 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018TOP TRENDS 2019
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or more comfortable in, than real reality.
Shutterstock
Virtual reality is an environment many GenXers are as comfortable in,
Blessed are
the Geeks
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.
Guess the King James Bible got it wrong. Must Mark Zuckerbergs of Geekworld, the only thing
have been a typo. that’s changed in a generation is the color of their T-
The Geeks, “a person that is socially awkward… a shirts…from black to blue.
person of an intellectual bent that is disliked by oth- Not an ounce of boogie, not a drop of jive, they’re
ers,” not the Meeks, have inherited the earth. stiff, dull, and predictable. Spiritless, they exude the
The blessed Geeks have transformed every aspect energy of their hardware and software.
of 21st century life, and it’s just the beginning. There Not only is there no Motown in Silicon Valley,
is virtually no corner of human existence that has Geeks have replaced the soul of human musicians
not been directly and powerfully affected by the and the voices that belted out songs with passion and
Geek created techno-world. heart, with computerized programming that embod-
Lacking style and grace, from the Steve Jobs to ies the passionless personalities they personify.
21 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018top trends 2019
of their world.
They work, live and play in those spheres. Rather
than trust themselves, they trust Amazon’s technol-
ogy enabling Alexa to detect users’ physical, emo-
tional, and behavioral states, and provide responses
based on that information.
For them, rather than designing their own future,
how and where they live will be left to Alphabet that
will devise and implement sensors and analytics to
decide how tomorrow’s “smart cities” are built, run,
and lived in.
Perhaps most removed from thousands of years of
human history, but soon to be mainstream and com-
monplace, is technology that sets new standards for
“imagination.”
What you think, how you feel, what you believe,
Geek culture has Across the spectrum, algorithms have replaced what you can imagine and aspire to means nothing
created the phone heartbeats. The human emotion has been diluted. because Google Brain, Deep Mind and Nvidia AI sys-
zombie, wandering tems will create and evolve ultra-realistic, computer
Think for yourself has been lost to Geek control that
the streets and public
areas absorbed in their does the thinking, solves simple and complex prob- generated images and sounds to tell their own story,
handheld oblivious to lems, educates, intellectualizes, sexualizes, drives ar- not yours.
the world around them. tistic impulses and ultimately decides what’s worthy They will write their own script, create their own
Shutterstock
and relevant. characters, determine what emotions or thoughts
they want to elicit and the best means to accomplish
ANCIENT HISTORY that. They know what you want and they know bet-
For nearly two generations, the Millennials and ter than you how to express it.
Generation Z, it’s a new world order. Having been Today, the avalanche of VR/AI technology we fore-
born into and growing up at the dawn of the Inter- cast in our Winter 2015 Trends Journal would soon
net and techno-revolutions, they have no feeling, saturate public consciousness and become the norm,
understanding or emotional connections to what is now the norm.
the world looked like or how it functioned before the With studies showing since the iPhone was intro-
Smartphone, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality duced in 2007, and smartphones gained widespread
and Alexa era. usage, the percentage of teens who reported having
Thus, while the technology trend has been evolv- sex fell significantly, therefore, the future for sexbots
ing for years, for the first time in history the mantle looks bright.
is being handed off to a generation completely in and The human touch is dying. Long live the Geeks. TJ
TREND FORECAST
In 2019, the Blessed Geeks celebrate their overturn programs will become, in effect, virtual human
of the human experience. The generation now beings; they’ll take tests, advance their knowledge
entering adulthood, is primed to engage these fast- base through trial and error, perform complex
evolving technologies across every aspect of their human functions and learn from their mistakes
lives. and failures.
Their AI/VR technologies will sweep industries, They’ll get degrees, honors and salutations
households and governments worldwide. More along the way, and become motivated to become
and more jobs will be replaced by robotics and AI more “human” as we become less human.
22 THE TRENDS JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018You can also read
