The rise in the term 'existential threat' from 1800 to 2019 according to Google Ngram Viewer. Seems to have been zero during World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, World War II and the Cuban missile crisis but has recently rocketed.
Is the rise in existential threats an existential threat threat? If he wins the next election I suggest Keir Starmer needs Minister for Existential Threats.
...but such a Minister would be in charge of the Ministry of Assurance.
ReplyDeleteGot to follow '1984' more assiduously after all. You know it makes sense.
/sarcasm
The Government probably is the Existential Threat, and the more Government we get, the bigger the threat
ReplyDeletePeople probably confuse it with Exponential Threat.
ReplyDeleteDJ - it's interesting that 1984 is still chilling. We never move decisively away from the warnings it represents.
ReplyDeleteBucko - I agree, there is far too much of it already and the sheer size and scope of it is a genuine threat.
dearieme - oops - they could confuse the two if they see that graph.
ReplyDeleteBletherskites who used to say "growing exponentially" now sometimes say "going parabolic". They must think there's only one sort of parabola.
ReplyDeletedearieme - I don't think I've come across that one, or maybe didn't notice it.
ReplyDelete