Is there any topic on which we’re not currently facing a catastrophe? In the last few months I’ve been warned about impending doom for insects, food, nuclear weapons treaties, democracy, the economy, the internet, space, the environment, the arctic circle, abortion rights.

Most all of them. As people have gotten safer they have gotten progressively more afraid of the remaining danger.

Doom sells, don't buy it.

Economic cycles, political unrest, diseases, on and on and on, these things always have existed and constantly will ebb and flow, while people will pretend what's happening now is the worst its ever been because grabbing your attention is profitable and gives people the sense that their life has meaning.

We weren't living in an idyllic world n years ago, we're not living in one now, we won't be living in one in the future. The things that suck just kind of rotate from time to time. Things remain pretty ok.

Don't forget drought, flooding, gasoline, job bubbles, job collapse, censorship, housing, chip shortages, etc.

Nothing can be just 'news'. Its all framed as a signal of collapse.

Not really, no. Panic sells so panic is what is being sold. This is not a new thing as a stroll through the archives (in any language I can read at least - Dutch, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish) will quickly show, especially weather scares have a long and rich history.

The point stands equally true for those catastrophes as well.

There once was a boy keeping watch. He cried out "Wolf! wolf!" And the villagers came, and saw the wolf was quite far away, and not a danger yet.

The next night, the boy cried out "Wolf! Wolf!" And while the wolf was at the gate, it didn't seem to be hurting anybody. After all, the boy and his village were fine still, and there could be benefits to the wolf.

The third night, the boy did not cry wolf. The villagers discovered him dead the next morning next to the village free-range wolf. A great meeting was held, and it was decided that since most people were safe and secure and able to live their lives normally, we must all adapt to the new normal and learn to live with the wolf.

Except that story doesn't exist. People felt the need to record the other story (the one you repurposed) instead, and for good reason.

In the past decade I've also noticed the word 'crisis' being used a lot more in less inappropriate ways. I just found, in today's DDG news stories, headlines about a US border crisis, a baby formula crisis, Sri Lanka having a fuel crisis, the Israeli govt. in crisis, a covid crisis in N. Korea, a mental health crisis in Alabama, a gun violence crisis, a cost of living crisis.... and many more.

Methinks journalists need to buy a thesaurus.

And they're really using the word "crisis" wrong. It's supposed to mean something like a fork in the road, a situation that forces change. Not just "shit is bad right now".

They'll use whatever words increase their revenue in the A/B tests unfortunately.

Don't forget:

"We're all going to die" is the default state of reality. What matters is "when" and "how".

And "how much money can I make off of telling others about it"