Lewes Forum thread

Go on, tell 'em what you think

Lewes Forum New message

Existential

On 15 Dec 2019 at 2:44pm Sleeveless wrote:

Why can�t a day go by without hearing or reading the above word? It is appearing everywhere. Might it even become word of the year?

On 15 Dec 2019 at 3:00pm nancy wrote:

Moribund.

On 15 Dec 2019 at 3:28pm Hyena wrote:

Are you Nancy?

On 15 Dec 2019 at 9:55pm pickle wrote:

XR�s pathetic gaggle of Lewesian disciples on Cliffe bridge yesterday singing �12 Days of Crisis� was a step too far for me.

On 16 Dec 2019 at 7:37pm Tom Pain wrote:

Yes, existential usually refers to something that doesn't exist. Then there's a forum favourite-.bigot ,people use to describe someone who disagrees with their opinion. Community's another used to describe anything but what it actually is. Not forgetting - consensus which has lost all meaning whatsoever.

to describe someone who doesn't agree with their opinion

On 17 Dec 2019 at 8:51am Nevillman wrote:

I don't think it does mean that Tom. If you look it up it means something relating to human existence. It's not a term of abuse at all.I don't recall hearing bigot particularly misused. Most people know what that means and don't use it as a general term of abuse unless they think it is appropriate. All terms can be misused. It's easier than ever to check what something means when you see it used or are about to use it at all Tom. Give it a try. I know I've suggested it to you before.

On 17 Dec 2019 at 1:04pm Basil wrote:

Yes, existential has been going for a couple of years now. I also see that beginning answers with 'So...' is still going strong. Particularly popular with academics on the radio - you'd think they'd no better.

'Tell me, why do you begin your answers with "So"?'

'So...'

On 17 Dec 2019 at 1:06pm Basil wrote:

And of course when you criticise someone on the forum you make a mistake. 'No' was supposed to be 'know'.

On 17 Dec 2019 at 2:56pm Sleeveless wrote:

I�m not sure the word is always used correctly. Owen Jones used it recently about humanity, John McDonnell used it about climate and the Guardian most recently used it about the Labour Party.

On 17 Dec 2019 at 5:19pm Nevillman wrote:

So I don't really know the context in which it was used sleeveless but you could describe changing climate as an existential crisis if you think that it threatens human existence I would have thought. Maybe the guardian misused it by equating the continuing existence of humanity with the continuing existence of the Labour party.
So is generally used to provide thinking time I think basil. I used to find it annoying but now I no it annoys basil I like it.

On 18 Dec 2019 at 8:30am Green Sleeves wrote:

Yeah, there's plenty of EVIDENCE to show that climate change represents an existential threat, not just to our species but also millions of other species (many already being wiped out due to to rapid change in climate).

I'm sure during the cold war that the "existential threat" term was also commonly used.