This was one of my favorites because it was like going down memory lane. I remember first hearing about Y2K and the mild side of panic it caused some people. Of course, my parents were sure to let me know nuclear missiles weren't going to end the world, before we hopped into our car and went to see the NYE fireworks. What I didn't even consider as a child was the stock market. Even though there may have been small minor inconveniences, at best, this could cause hysteria. The market relies on people keeping their assets in the market. A mass liquidation could very well cause long term implications.
Although, my favorite prediction was Isaac Newton's. His casual pen-pal letter where he disregarded his physicist/mathematician intellect and used the Book of Daniel to theorize the world would end in 2060. Which, I'd be pretty okay if he were right. Student debt is such a gross plague, I'm not sure if our generation could afford retirement after the 60's anyway.
I really like your comment about the stock market. A lot of people think about the end of the world being something along the lines of a natural disaster to cause it, but nothing really comes to mind when we think of it in the sense that humans could cause it. An overall really great post!
ReplyDeleteThis really made me think about the stock market as well. Some people think everything is a sign that the world is ending when there's no reason for it. Every time there's a phenomenon people will make theories about anything. The stock market makes everyone paranoid and just adds to the hysteria.
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