The Folly of Futurism: What Will Michael Jackson Look Like in the Year 2000?

or WTFuturism?

I love speculation about the future, mostly because it usually goes so wrong. For instance, in 1985, Ebony Magazine published an article called “Portraits of the Stars: What They May Look Like in the Year 2000“. In it, they commissioned an artist named Nathan Wright to depict what he thinks “today’s” (1985′s) artists would look like in the year 2000. The best part… Michael Jackson. Read on for the pictures:

Check out the entire page from the Ebony article:

Michael Jackson in the year 2000, via the lens of 1985

Nathan Wright said of MJ: “At 40, he will have aged gracefully and will have a handsome, more mature look.” So basically, he’ll look like Lando Calrissian…

In The Year 2000…

The irony is, none of the words Nathan Wright used to describe Michael Jackson are appropriate for his actual year 2000 self.
See:

“…graceful… handsome… mature…?”

Let this be a lesson for you amateur futurists out there. Clouded, the future is; Impossible to see.