What will jurors and jury duty in America be like in the year 2035?
I will end this book by asking the reader to read (or reread) my description of the characteristics of the majority of the older demographic of Americans as described on the home page. These are the characteristics which are essential for someone to perform effectively in the role of juror, at least by any traditional and reasonable standard. In 20 years from now (i.e., in the year 2035), people who are presently at least 52 years old will be will be at least 72 years old. Some will have passed away, simply based on the average life expectancy of Americans. Some will be physically and/or mentally unable to serve on jury duty. Some may choose to excuse themselves from jury duty since most districts grant automatic (but certainly not forced) excusal to people of at least that age.
Now let us turn to the other end of the age spectrum. I don't think that many readers will argue with my assertion that the younger generation of Americans is essentially “lost,” for lack of a better word. In 20 years from now, the younger generation will certainly have 20 more years of life experience, but that won't remedy the fact that they grew up in a world in which they were not required to do any true thinking in a traditional sense.
Of greater concern is that in 2035, children who are just being born now (or who will be born two years from now) will be at least 18 years old, and will be of the age at which they are qualified for jury service. I don't think that many readers will argue with my assertion that a large percentage of young Americans (but certainly not all) are not receiving effective parenting and education. More importantly, they are not learning how to read, write, do basic computations, analyze data, socialize (in a traditional sense), and most importantly, think.
To discuss the matter in any detail would go outside the scope of this book. The only point I am trying to make is that the older generation of Americans is aging and dying, and they are not being replaced by people who, by any reasonable definition, are qualified to serve as jurors. In plain English, the demographic of Americans of age 18 to 72 is getting dumber, lazier, unhealthier, more ignorant, and more helpless with each passing day, and our modern technology is expediting this process at an alarming rate.
What does all this mean in the context of jury duty? If nothing else, our courts will not be able to conduct trials by jury if the typical potential juror responds to all pre-trial interview questions in an overtly confused manner (e.g., the grunting of the syllable "wuh?"). Any lawyer “fresh out of law school” will be able to assert that his/her client has no hope of receiving a fair trial.
By the year 2035 (if not much sooner), I predict that America (excluding the parts of the country “sealed off” by the very rich) will effectively be a third-world country, albeit one in which everyone owns increasingly high-tech gadgets that serve to keep us fat, lazy, and mindless. The unemployment rate and crime rate will both be “through the roof.” People will increasingly take matters of law enforcement and the protection of life and property into their own hands. The public education system will be completely defunct (assuming there is a slight trace of it remaining now). Most low-skilled jobs will be replaced with some form of automation. The US Government and the very wealthy will be able to do whatever they want without any opposition and/or oversight whatsoever, and will effectively have total control over everything. I realize that many people feel as though this is already the case, and the point is well-taken.
Few people will be left who have the ability and inclination to file written protests regarding matters of concern and injustice. Any violent protests or disruptive/destructive acts will either be met with brutal force or ignored, but both of those responses will be for naught. Virtually all court cases will not be handled by a jury. The tiny fraction of a percent that are will simply be those in which an overtly guilty person (with no hope of striking a plea bargain) demands a trial by jury, “rolls the dice,” and hopes for a miracle in the form of an ignorant and/or easily bamboozled jury, or a jury that bases its decision on politics as opposed to evidence and logic.
I wish I could say that there is hope for our nation, and that there is still time for us all to work together, get a handle on the situation, and turn things around, but I truly don't see what the solution is at this point. We are finally reaping what we sowed. That universal karmic law applies to entire nations no differently than it does to individuals. Peace out, America...
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Now let us turn to the other end of the age spectrum. I don't think that many readers will argue with my assertion that the younger generation of Americans is essentially “lost,” for lack of a better word. In 20 years from now, the younger generation will certainly have 20 more years of life experience, but that won't remedy the fact that they grew up in a world in which they were not required to do any true thinking in a traditional sense.
Of greater concern is that in 2035, children who are just being born now (or who will be born two years from now) will be at least 18 years old, and will be of the age at which they are qualified for jury service. I don't think that many readers will argue with my assertion that a large percentage of young Americans (but certainly not all) are not receiving effective parenting and education. More importantly, they are not learning how to read, write, do basic computations, analyze data, socialize (in a traditional sense), and most importantly, think.
To discuss the matter in any detail would go outside the scope of this book. The only point I am trying to make is that the older generation of Americans is aging and dying, and they are not being replaced by people who, by any reasonable definition, are qualified to serve as jurors. In plain English, the demographic of Americans of age 18 to 72 is getting dumber, lazier, unhealthier, more ignorant, and more helpless with each passing day, and our modern technology is expediting this process at an alarming rate.
What does all this mean in the context of jury duty? If nothing else, our courts will not be able to conduct trials by jury if the typical potential juror responds to all pre-trial interview questions in an overtly confused manner (e.g., the grunting of the syllable "wuh?"). Any lawyer “fresh out of law school” will be able to assert that his/her client has no hope of receiving a fair trial.
By the year 2035 (if not much sooner), I predict that America (excluding the parts of the country “sealed off” by the very rich) will effectively be a third-world country, albeit one in which everyone owns increasingly high-tech gadgets that serve to keep us fat, lazy, and mindless. The unemployment rate and crime rate will both be “through the roof.” People will increasingly take matters of law enforcement and the protection of life and property into their own hands. The public education system will be completely defunct (assuming there is a slight trace of it remaining now). Most low-skilled jobs will be replaced with some form of automation. The US Government and the very wealthy will be able to do whatever they want without any opposition and/or oversight whatsoever, and will effectively have total control over everything. I realize that many people feel as though this is already the case, and the point is well-taken.
Few people will be left who have the ability and inclination to file written protests regarding matters of concern and injustice. Any violent protests or disruptive/destructive acts will either be met with brutal force or ignored, but both of those responses will be for naught. Virtually all court cases will not be handled by a jury. The tiny fraction of a percent that are will simply be those in which an overtly guilty person (with no hope of striking a plea bargain) demands a trial by jury, “rolls the dice,” and hopes for a miracle in the form of an ignorant and/or easily bamboozled jury, or a jury that bases its decision on politics as opposed to evidence and logic.
I wish I could say that there is hope for our nation, and that there is still time for us all to work together, get a handle on the situation, and turn things around, but I truly don't see what the solution is at this point. We are finally reaping what we sowed. That universal karmic law applies to entire nations no differently than it does to individuals. Peace out, America...
Go to About the Author
Go to Table to Contents