Doom-mongers

Doom-mongers are individuals, groups, or entities who habitually express and spread pessimistic, often exaggerated, pronouncements about future events, typically focusing on impending crises, disasters, or negative outcomes. They are characterized by their tendency to emphasize potential threats and dangers, sometimes to the exclusion of positive possibilities or constructive solutions. Their pronouncements can range from reasoned warnings to alarmist predictions, and they often capitalize on societal anxieties. While genuine concerns about risk and potential hazards are important, doom-mongering often lacks a balanced perspective and may contribute to undue fear and demoralization.

Doom-mongers meaning with examples

• The media was accused of fostering fear by amplifying the voices of doom-mongers during the economic downturn, painting an unnecessarily bleak picture of the future and eroding consumer confidence, which was a major factor in extending the recession.
• Environmental doom-mongers, predicting a catastrophic climate collapse, gained significant influence, pressuring governments to enact drastic measures. However, critics questioned the accuracy of their worst-case scenarios and the practicality of their proposed solutions.
• Political analysts often criticized election-year commentators as doom-mongers. They painted a picture of a deeply divided nation facing an almost certain civil war if one side's candidate won the race. The fear-based commentary had a negative effect on voter turnout.
• Despite repeated forecasts of widespread job losses due to automation, many economists dismissed such predictions, calling them the exaggerated fears of technology doom-mongers and highlighting the historical resilience of economies to technological change.