The Astonishing Rise of Existential Threats

Political discourse has taken on a certain shade of Camus. The term is fertile of late, especially among Democratic presidential hopefuls. It has become a set term in reference to climate change, as by Governor Jay Inslee and by Senator Elizabeth Warren, both , while Mayor Pete Buttigieg has used the variation . Former Vice President Joe Biden refers to President Donald Trump as an to the nation, and Senator Cory Booker widens the lens, applying the term to the opiate crisis, suicide rates, and even our general . It isn’t only people left of center who are newly fond of the term: According to a National Rifle Association spokesman, Senator Kamala Harris is an “” to the Second Amendment.