Is it possible to have an upbeat doom and gloom kind of song? Well, if sweet and sour pork exists then optimistic pessimism must also be possible! There's lots of talk of social chaos, racial tension, political corruption, an impending civil war, and maybe even a third world war, but there's at least a pretty good chance that none of that will happen. It's even possible that 2024 might turn out to be a pretty good year when all is said and done. However, seldom has there been so much dread going into a new year. With a war in Israel and a war in Ukraine, problems with border security, economic insecurity and a bunch of other issues, it is likely that 2024 will not be that great of a year. It could even devolve into the kind of scenario preppers sometimes call SHTF.