> If we didn't downplay "the doom" for years now We collectively didn't. We did quite the opposite by giving airtime to any quack predicting the end of the wor

> If we didn't downplay "the doom" for years now We collectively didn't. We did quite the opposite by giving airtime to any quack predicting the end of the world, so much so that encountering "end of the world people" is a common trope in American sitcoms. (Edit: Hell, watch a documentary from the late '70s on "Global Cooling" to see what I mean. The episode of "In Search Of…" narrated by Leonard Nimoy is my suggestion.) If the "The End Is Nigh!" people hasn't ever existed, then I think the warnings over the past 4+ decades would have been taken far more seriously. As it is now, most are afraid of lending an ear to a boy crying "Wolf!". It sucks.