Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - COVID-19 pandemic could dampen economy for up to 70 years (USA Today)
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Old 09-07-2020, 10:54 AM
OrangeBlossomBaby OrangeBlossomBaby is offline
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Except, the headline IS fact. When you read it carefully you'll notice a word and a phrase: "could" and "up to."

There is nothing about this headline that is untrue.

Sort of like saying "oh right, and next thursday I might win the lottery."

Well - if you ever play the lottery, you just might win it next thursday. And even if you don't win it, someone could give you a ticket as a present, and you win. Or you could find one on the ground and pick it up and it ends up being a winning ticket.

It COULD happen. Is it likely to happen? Probably not. However, the issue wasn't whether it WILL or WILL NOT. It's whether or not it COULD happen. And so yes - the statement is true. It COULD happen.

Also, the statement is true regardless of whether it COULD last 70 years, because of the "up to" phrase.

That means, if the economic impact lasts only another 6 months, then that has satisfied the criteria of "up to" 70 years. As long as it doesn't go over 70 years, it satisfies the requirement of being true.

-She who studied semantics in college-