Re:Human Beings Almost Vanished from Earth in 70,000 B.C
by _Microft on Friday November 03, 2017 @10:00AM
(#15619263)
No matter how bad times large segments of the planet are experiencing, there have been worse times. Meaning:almost all of the past was worse than it is today.
At https://ourworldindata.org/ you can find tons of data, info-graphics and articles from various (respectable) sources backing that claim. That's not meaning that things are all rosy yet - just meaning that they have been worse in the past!
Re:Human Beings Almost Vanished from Earth in 70,000 B.C
by kerbalspacepro on Friday November 03, 2017 @10:56AM
(#15619625)
I feel like people use the current ok state of humanity and the phrase "it's been worse!" to block out a completely unrelated statement, "it might get worse".
Re:Human Beings Almost Vanished from Earth in 70,000 B.C
by _Microft on Friday November 03, 2017 @11:49AM
(#15620064)
I never said that we not better make sure that it stays that way.
If I see someone mentioning the "current, miserable state of the world" I have to object and correct their skewed view (which is not of the present but of a wrongly remembered or romanticized past that serves as incorrect baseline for the comparison!).
Re:Human Beings Almost Vanished from Earth in 70,000 B.C
by marcus_holmes on Saturday November 04, 2017 @04:05AM
(#15624215)
I think it's not so much a rosy view of the past, but a fear-filled view of the present.
I did a quick poll of my FB feed, and about 60% of my "friends" felt that the present was worse than the past. Despite all the evidence saying that it's not.
I'm not sure "humans will not go totally extinct" is any more comforting than the cliche of "We'll not destroy the earth, it'll be fine, it's human's that'll be wiped out" there's definately the opportunity for a lot of people to have a very bad time. Even worse than the bad times that large segments of the planet are experiencing right now.