Many of my younger friends have shared with me their pessimism and grim outlook for the future. I then share my optimism, which earns the reply "How can I ignore all the frightening news?" This is what I tell them.
TL/DR;
The news media has been sharing the worst possible outcomes for many crises during my lifetime: The Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, Acid Rain, Skylab falling, the Energy Crisis, the Ozone Hole, Y2K, and the election of every president that I can remember. I have concluded that everyone is poor at predicting the future, especially when they present the worst case scenario. I decided to make the most of the present and ignore the noise.
The Cold War and Nuclear War
My entire upbringing we were under the threat of communism with the potential for nuclear winter and the extinction of the human species. Ronald Reagan called the USSR the "Evil Empire", movies showed the Soviets invading the U.S.
Resolution:
In 1989, the unthinkable happened when the Berlin Wall came down. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Nuclear Disarmament treaties significantly reduced the world's stockpiles of atomic weapons. While there is still a nuclear threat, the fear mongering has decreased. (By the way, I highly recommend the Netflix documentary "Turning Point: the Bomb and the Cold War."
Acid Rain and Smog Days
During the 1970s and 1980s, pollution in the air would turn the rain to acid, ruining national monuments, killing wildlife in our streams and rivers, and ruining lakes and forests. The pollution was also causing respiratory problems. The nightly news announced the threat of acid rain in ominous tones. I remember as a child having "Smog Days" at school when the air quality was too poor to allow us to go out at recess and play.
Resolution:
The Clean Air Act was amended, and the Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution created an international agreement that resulted in improvements. While it is still a problem in some countries with potential long-term environmental impact, we don't hear much about it.
Sky Lab Re-Entry
In 1979, the United States' first space station re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. NASA couldn't predict where it would fall, raising concerns that it could kill millions of people.
Resolution:
It fell on parts of the Indian Ocean and Australia and didn't kill anyone.
The Energy Crisis
In 1973, OPEC had an Oil embargo against the U.S. and its allies. This resulted in a recession and high inflation. Gas was rationed resulting in long lines at the pump and the federal government imposing a national 55 MPH speed limit (Have you heard the song "I Can't Drive 55" by Sammy Hagar? I got a few speeding tickets during this period).
Resolution:
The U.S. adopted efficiency standards and the economy returned to normal (I won't list the reasons here.)
The Ozone Hole
In the 1980's, the big scare was the Ozone Hole. The concern was that it would keep getting bigger, increasing our risk of cancer, cataracts, and environmental damage.
Resolution:
Montreal Protocol (1987) banned CFCs, with ozone hole recovery trends observed.
Y2K
In 1999, there was a fear that our infrastructure would collapse due to the Y2K bug. The year 2000 came with no significant problems.
Honorable Mentions
I didn't include these as they are too rife with controversy.
- COVID-19
- Gay Marriage
- Climate Change
- Artificial Intelligence
Fears about U.S. Presidents (that I remember)
Jimmy Carter was considered an outsider and weak on foreign affairs. He gave us economic struggles (inflation, gas shortages), the Iran hostage crisis, and perceived weak leadership.
Ronald Reagan was too old (69 at inauguration), a former actor, had extreme right-wing policies, and increased the risk of nuclear war. His trickle-down economics would hurt the poor, and he was marred by the Iran-Contra scandal.
George H. W. Bush was just Reagan 2.0.
Bill Clinton was too young and inexperienced, a country baffoon, a womanizer, and a draft dodger. He was scandalous (Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky). He was the only president on this list to balance the federal budget and start to pay off the debt. Way to go, Bill!
George W. Bush wasn't intelligent enough, was elected under controversy (2000 recount), and gave us the forever wars (Iraq War under false pretences) and the economic collapse (2008 recession).
Barack Obama was inexperienced, secretly a radical, and people questioned his birthplace and religion. He pushed for government overreach (Obamacare). Racial tensions increased.
Donald Trump 1.0 had no political experience, was reckless, had an unfit temperament, and authoritarian tendencies. In office, he was divisive, attacked institutions, mishandled COVID-19, and resisted the election results.
Joe Biden was considered too old, cognitively declining, a weak leader. He caused inflation, a border crisis, and a botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
Donald Trump 2.0 - Concerned that he would be another Hitler and Stalin and bring the world order to an end.
This Isn't New
Predictions of Doomsday have been going on for a long time.
The Bible (too many instances to quote here).
Conclusion
I've become numb to the overhyped fearmongering and dire predictions in the media. I have tried unsuccessfully to predict the future and realize that I am not only bad at it, but so is everyone else.
I decided to make the most of the present and wait a few years to see if other's predictions actually pan out.
Biography
"The Culture of Fear" by Barry Glassner.
"Hate, Inc." by Matt Taibbi.
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