Poll: Are you Ahead of the Curve? Mainstream ? Or Out-of Step?

[Armstead]

This was prompted by a thread someone posted in GD about how DU is ahead of the curve in terms of things we bring up slowly filtering into the mainstream.

So, thought I'd ask on a personal level. How in tune are you with the "zeitgeist" when it comes to predicting issues, events trends and what will become the future conventional wisdom over time? Are you a Nostradamus or a Baghdad Bob?

This can be either a psychic sense of intuition, or more logical analysis or combination of the two -- just a knack for prediction.

Another way of putting it is: Would you be a good futurist and consultant type, based on your intuitive track record of sensing what's going to become important? Do your perceptions and hunches and opinions tend to come true over time --- even when they seem like a longshot or counter-intuitive before they happen?

Or do your concerns and opinions generally tend to reflect the mainstream at the time? Do your views and hunches tend to follow the conventional wisdom of the time?

Or are your opinions and sense of things always off-base in terms of popular opinion? Are you simply always out of step, and feel like you're always going to have minority opinions? Or are you often wrong?

NOTE: This isn't about wishful thinking. It can mean that your goals become more widely accepted. But it's not simply what you hope will happen. Rather how accurate has your track record been at sensing what will happen in reality?

REalizing that there are more dimensions to this, comments for further explanation are welcome.

[trof]

1. First vote

And I owe my "ahead of the curve" to DU and BuzzFlash.
Thanks, y'all.

[Interrobang]

2. Trof, you can't fp here! ;)

I am so ahead of the curve, I unconsciously start doing things six months to a year before they become cool. Heh. :)

[Armstead]

4. I voted 1 -- with all due modesty.

I've always had a fairly good knack for seeing down the road, in terms of what will happen and what will catch on. (I'm not always so good at making sense of my own life, but talking here in terms of the larger world.)

Part of that, frankly, is that my political views tend to be towards the progressive. And the progressive view is genrally accurate -- for better and for worse. Like the media consolidation issue. That's been a concern of progressives for years -- Now the warnings are coming true. (But, fortunarely it has also become a more visible issue in the last couple of years.)

Also, with all due modesty, it's just a knack I've always had, of seeing larger trends based on scattered evidence. (Probably why I went into journalism. Developing an "ear" for where things are going is part of the tool kit.).

I used to be good at that in terms of popular culture too. Like, I was a big Led Zep fan long before most people heard of them. And I was into World Music long before it was called "world music."...To be honest, that one's faded with age. I don't even know the name of most popular bands these days.

[TheBigGuy]

11. Wow..cool...so clue us in on some upcoming trends...

...inquiring minds want to know!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. 5th vote ...i maske bagdad bob look like a sage...i predicted gore to win

[Armstead]

8. He did

The "Ahead of the Curve" part would have been to predict he'd win, but that it would be a close mess and the GOP would steal it.

[Clete]

5. Although most of my predictions have panned out as

accurate, I suffer from Cassandra syndrome. No one believes me until after the fact when I get, "Gee, you were right after all". No I don't see the future in a crystal ball. I do analyze probable outcomes by comparison to the past and other models.

[mitchum]

6. I have the same problem...

But I also have no problem with trumpeting "TOLD YOU SO!" In fact, that's what I want as my epitath.

[Armstead]

7. That goes with the territory

>>> No one believes me until after the fact when I get, "Gee, you were right after all". <<<

Being ahead of it requires seeing the little bits of evidence that are otherwise overlooked, and making connections (intellectually or intuitively) that aren't being made otherwise.

[Armstead]

9. kick

[TheBigGuy]

10. I was way ahead of the game re that "Cocktail Nation" trend.

I used to hunt out old cocktail lounges and steakhouses and order martinis way before it was cool....

...but that was about it for me, when it comes to trendspotting.

[Armstead]

12. Is being retro to predict the future ahead of the curve?

or going behind it to get ahead of it? Inquiring minds want to know. :)