[caymanjim]

Way to throw the hyperbole, Noam. "Right now" doesn't even crack the top five most historically-important periods in the past century, much less all of human history. There are some unusual things going on right now, but the only one that's going to be remembered in a few decades is Covid. By most other metrics, it's business as usual.

From an American perspective, it's absurd to elevate "now" above the Great Depression, World War 2, the Vietnam War, and the massive social and political changes accompanying each, to name just three eras in the past century. Tack on another century, and now doesn't even make it into the textbook.

Yeah, there's never been another moment like this, but that's true always and forever. There are some big things going on all the time. Add them all up, and this is a pretty bland time in the grand scheme of things.

[r32a_]

On the eve of World War 2, I am certain that people couldn't possibly imagine what was in front of them.

[techer]

I disagree. Covid is a catalyst, instant communication and misinformation is out of control and as someone who has boots on the ground, I’ve never seen such worry and lack of hope in my life.

[pwinnski]

There's a bit more to the linked article than the headline.

> Chomsky said the current age is a “point of confluence of severe crises,” including the threat of nuclear war, climate change, a raging pandemic, economic depression and racial unrest in the United States.

Other events might or might not turn out to be more consequential in the long run, and it still be true that there are more things happening all at once than ever before.

[guerrilla]

That's only if things turn out fine. It seems like he thinks nuclear war is actually possible and the effects of climate change are coming soon and big. If that's so (I'm not saying it is) then what could possibly be comparable?

[aaron695]

> It seems like he thinks nuclear war is actually possible and the effects of climate change are coming soon and big. If that's so (I'm not saying it is) then what could possibly be comparable?

That is a tautology kinda.

If we assume something that's bigger than anything else happens, what was bigger.

Nuclear war is silly, because The Cuban Missile crisis was scarier and probably would have been worse if it had of kicked off.

If climate change all happens in a year instead of 100 years, it's big, but not that big. You'd notice it less that the coronavirus.

[guerrilla]

The Cuban Missile crisis didn't pan out though whereas WW2 did. I consider WW2 to be the biggest thing that has happened so far which I suspect he might as well, so I take it as him predicting that what is coming will actually be worse than than which The Cuban missile crisis did not turn out to be even though it could have been.

> If climate change all happens in a year instead of 100 years, it's big,

He must not agreee with you on this is what I'm saying.

> tautology

Just a nitpick but please learn what the word means.

[tome]

> If climate change all happens in a year instead of 100 years, it's big, but not that big. You'd notice it less that the coronavirus.

That's interesting. Can you say more about that? It's very much counter to the conventional wisdom (mass death, mass migration, mass starvation, destruction of coastal civilisation, etc..)

[aaron695]

> mass starvation

Due to my hyperbole it's a hard argument that if 100 years happens in one year it'll all be ok.

But yields from crops will improve in some areas and weaken in others

https://www.nato.int/docu/review/articles/2011/02/18/food-se...

So there will be no mass starvation long term, after this super climate change year.

But I see no reason in the USA and Europe if they know what will happen with climate in a year, all the big farms won't adapt within that year.

To put all that change into a year will hammer the poor, but they will adapt within years and I'd see no reason the richer countries couldn't prop them up during the change over.

It's a tough hypothetical. The Netherlands probably couldn't do 100 years of climate change in a year for their dykes... I'm not sure. Maybe they could.

The coronavirus is also a big deal, you'll feel it for decades. What worries about it, is lost time. We are destroying time doing nothing during C19. Climate change 100 years -> 1 year, you'd lost a lot of stuff, but things would plod along.