Kerby Anderson

Although it is difficult to predict the future, there are many trends that we can see coming. That is the premise of the book, Seven Gray Swans, written by Chuck Bentley. A black swan is an extremely unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected. By contrast, a gray swan is an obvious danger we tend to ignore.

He describes seven gray swans that are on his radar right now. The first is universal basic income. Before you scoff at the idea this might be implemented, consider that you probably have received a stimulus check in the mail.

A second gray swan is digital currency. We seem headed to a cashless society. But will we lose all privacy when every transaction can be tracked? And for it to be effective, we will likely have to use biometric IDs.

A third concern is modern monetary theory. We have politicians in office and a number of economists that tell us deficits don’t matter. Government can spend as much as it wants. Money is being created out of thin air.

American democratic socialism is a fourth gray swan. As I have mentioned in previous commentaries, younger Americans often prefer socialism over capitalism.

Two more gray swans are social scoring and biometric identification. This has already been implemented to a great degree in China as a policing tool to evaluate commitment to the party. It is also a powerful source of control over free speech.

A final gray swan is the existence of fragile networks. Have you ever had your confidential data compromised? Are the networks you use safe and secure?

I encourage you to get this Crown Financial e-book and pay attention to these dangers on the horizon.