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Millennihilism

Started by xSilverPhinx, January 27, 2020, 02:48:24 PM

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xSilverPhinx



Times are bleak indeed. Show me to the gallows so that I may find this humor.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Dark Lightning

I grew up trained to cower under a desk to avoid a nuclear blast. There was a warning siren that played every last Friday of the month at 10 AM. My take is less media exposure would lessen some of the "dark" humor.

Recusant

#2
The issues and phenomena that generate an undertow of dread associated with human life in this age have varied, but past ages have had their own as well, be it Black Death, Mongols, famine, or any from the imposing list of historical blights. I don't begrudge the feeling of dread felt by at least some Millennials (and not only them) -- things can look a bit grim if you're paying attention. Still, while the implications and relative certainty of routes to doom change over time, people mostly carry on despite living in interesting times.

Appropriate to this thread, the Dictionary.com word of the year for 2019 is existential (with bonus googly eyes  ;)).

Quote

Image Credit: Pixar


"I'm trash!" was the insistent cry of Forky, the googly-eyed spork whose struggle to be a toy was at the heart of the summer blockbuster Toy Story 4. Forky's plight was entertaining, yes, but it also resonated with a deeper sentiment—and word—that defined so much of 2019.

We know what you must be thinking: Forky? The dictionary? 2019?

Well, the thing about Forky is, his dilemma actually speaks to a broader theme of threat and crisis reflected not only in culture and news, but also in our dictionary work throughout this year. High-stakes events around the world involving climate change, gun violence, and democratic institutions were some of the top news stories. And words about these events, from polar vortex to stochastic terrorism to exonerate, were top searches and trends on Dictionary.com.

Notable among searches was existential, which we've chosen as our Word of the Year for 2019. It captures a sense of grappling with the survival—literally and figuratively—of our planet, our loved ones, our ways of life.

Yep, heavy stuff.

But, existential also inspires us to ask big questions about who we are and what our purpose is in the face of our various challenges—and it reminds us that we can make choices about our lives in how we answer those questions.

[Continues . . .]


ETA: It would have been better if I hadn't inflicted the self-indulgent twaddle preceding the Dictionary.com link on this thread. Too often, I fail to filter out that sort of immoderation.  :embarrassed:
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Dark Lightning on January 27, 2020, 04:17:18 PM
I grew up trained to cower under a desk to avoid a nuclear blast. There was a warning siren that played every last Friday of the month at 10 AM. My take is less media exposure would lessen some of the "dark" humor.

Yeah, 'mean world syndrome' is real, but in my case I don't even expose myself to that medium and their perspectives that much.  :-\

I don't know...ever feel like there are limited future perspectives? A post-doc at the lab works as a waitress in her free time to make ends meet. After I complete a Ph.D. program, what then? There are practically no jobs for that field in Brazil and I'll be forced to look for something elsewhere, along with thousands in like circumstance, or battle for a post-doc position year after year until a more stable job opportunity comes along.

I know these things are cyclic and the future might be brighter but damn, it's taking a long time to get out of this crisis.   
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Recusant on January 27, 2020, 05:06:56 PM
The issues and phenomena that generate an undertow of dread associated with human life in this age have varied, but past ages have had their own as well, be it Black Death, Mongols, famine, or any from the imposing list of historical blights. I don't begrudge the feeling of dread felt by at least some Millennials (and not only them) -- things can look a bit grim if you're paying attention. Still, while the implications and relative certainty of routes to doom change over time, people mostly carry on despite living in interesting times.

Appropriate to this thread, the Dictionary.com word of the year for 2019 is existential (with bonus googly eyes  ;)).

Quote

Image Credit: Pixar


"I'm trash!" was the insistent cry of Forky, the googly-eyed spork whose struggle to be a toy was at the heart of the summer blockbuster Toy Story 4. Forky's plight was entertaining, yes, but it also resonated with a deeper sentiment—and word—that defined so much of 2019.

We know what you must be thinking: Forky? The dictionary? 2019?

Well, the thing about Forky is, his dilemma actually speaks to a broader theme of threat and crisis reflected not only in culture and news, but also in our dictionary work throughout this year. High-stakes events around the world involving climate change, gun violence, and democratic institutions were some of the top news stories. And words about these events, from polar vortex to stochastic terrorism to exonerate, were top searches and trends on Dictionary.com.

Notable among searches was existential, which we've chosen as our Word of the Year for 2019. It captures a sense of grappling with the survival—literally and figuratively—of our planet, our loved ones, our ways of life.

Yep, heavy stuff.

But, existential also inspires us to ask big questions about who we are and what our purpose is in the face of our various challenges—and it reminds us that we can make choices about our lives in how we answer those questions.

[Continues . . .]

Forky!  ;D

Existentialism just may be the word of the times...
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey