New England editor Bill Kole took a sobering look at futurists’ predictions that things may yet get so bad that we'll look back on the gloomy year of 2020 as the good old days. His story struck a nerve with many Americans and touched off a spirited conversation that continues on social media. Writing from Hope Valley, R.I., Kole interviewed futurists and other thinkers about the likelihood that life, virus-related and otherwise, could get worse before it gets better, and he came away with the provocative, dystopian vision.
A man wearing a mask leaves a gift shop in Hope Valley, R.I., July 15, 2020. Writing from Hope Valley, AP’s Bill Kole interviewed futurists and other thinkers about the likelihood that life, virus-related and otherwise, could get worse before it gets better, coming away with a provocative, dystopian vision.
AP Photo / William J. Kole