WilliamKiely comments on [Linkpost] Don’t Look Up—a Netflix comedy about asteroid risk and realistic societal reactions (Dec. 24th)

[WilliamKiely]

Any predictions on whether the film will seem to be positive from an existential-risk-reducing perspective or not?

Or perhaps more constructively, what possible features of the film could make it seem positive from an xrisk perspective? Which possible features could make it seem negative?

Possible Positives:

• If it makes viewers viscerally feel the importance of preventing extinction

• If it reminds viewers of the importance of preventing extinction, such that they are more likely to take other action to reduce extinction risks in the future

• If it educates people on coordination problems or other obstacles that humanity actually faces (or may actually face) when trying to deal with extinction risks

Possible Negatives:

• If it leaves viewers with a false impression of the absolute risk of extinction due to asteroids

• If it leaves viewers with a false impression of the relative risk of extinction due to asteroids (relative to other extinction risks)

• If it reduces the chance that other (positive) Hollywood films about extinction risk get made in the coming years

[Kirsten]

It might give people language to describe their experiences. Like “when I watched this movie, it was just like how it was before Covid—people were either really scared or just laughed it off! I see people doing the same thing when it comes to [other risk]”

[WilliamKiely]

The premise of the film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) is that:

a mission to stop an incoming 70-mile wide asteroid known as “Matilda” has failed and that the asteroid will make impact in three weeks, destroying all life on Earth

This is taken as inevitable and accepted by the characters in the film. The film ends with the Earth getting destroyed, implying human extinction.