A billion people dead by 2025

[zbigi]

In Jordan Peterson's recent podcast, his guest predicts all sorts of catastrophies, and a billion people dead by 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7gAEkzIgvw

[theanimal]

Personally, I trust the macro forecasts of combat correspondents as much as those from economists.

This reminds me of a podcast interview where Matthew Yglesias was asked about his new book "One Billion Americans" and why he settled on 1 billion as the target. The response was, "I don't know, it seemed like a big enough number." A good way to sell books.

[Slevin]

In line with @theanimal above, it turns out, people who gain money by harvesting views / listens try to harvest the most views/listens. And it turns out, saying absurd and ridiculous things (especially ones that say something scary to invoke the fight/flight response) will harvest the most views. It isn't exactly a new phenomena in propaganda.

And that's just what we are seeing here. Say ridiculous things, harvest views and attention.

[chenda]

Personally, I trust the macro forecasts of combat correspondents as much as those from economists.

This reminds me of a podcast interview where Matthew Yglesias was asked about his new book "One Billion Americans" and why he settled on 1 billion as the target. The response was, "I don't know, it seemed like a big enough number." A good way to sell books.

Based on a review of the book I was left with the impression he was just having a laugh...