A doomsaying individual attracts or announces misfortune
A doomsayer is someone who tends to predict or anticipate misfortunes . That is why it is associated with pessimism .
Some examples
Let's look at the term in three sentences: “Don't be a doomsayer! Maybe things will turn out well and we can solve this problem that afflicts us so much as soon as possible” , “A journalist should not be a doomsayer, although he does not have to sugarcoat reality either” , “You can call me a doomsayer, but I feel obliged to warn you. ” that you have chosen the wrong path and that you may have serious difficulties…”
Let's look at the three examples carefully. In the first, the sender complains about the pessimistic attitude of his interlocutor, asking him to change it to a positive one or to at least consider the possibility that the future brings good news. At this point we must clarify that there is a slight difference between the concepts of doomsayer and pessimist : although both share the meaning of the latter, because they tend to look at the worst aspect of things, the former also anticipates potential misfortunes, which announces.
The second sentence reminds us that journalism cannot be based on subjectivity : professionals in this field must focus on transmitting reality with the greatest degree of impartiality possible, without embellishing or oversizing it. A doomsayer, in this sense, could comment on a massive fire that "the affected neighbors will probably not be able to rebuild their lives," instead of highlighting the aid movements that have emerged in the midst of the catastrophe.
We finish with an example in which the approach is slightly different from that used in the previous two. Here the sender is the one who receives the qualification of "doomsayer" from his interlocutor, but assures him that his attitude is not intended to be pessimistic but rather realistic, because he is convinced that he has made a mistake and that this will bring him serious consequences.
Other meanings
The doomsaying adjective can also be applied to what was said or done by an individual with the aforementioned characteristics: “The doomsaying forecasts of many economists were not fulfilled and today the national economy is growing at a good pace,” “The specialist's doomsaying omen worried many.” health professionals” , “The ominous prediction that the player made at the beginning of the season was correct: the team has just lost the category” .
Omen, on the other hand, refers to someone who believes in omens or seeks to divine through them . Known as omen , in this framework, is the practice that aims at divination through the recognition of signs of nature or of another nature.
He who claims to know what will happen in the future when interpreting an omen is called an omen. In ancient times, doomsayers of this type were taken as fortune tellers or sorcerers .
Ominous bird
An omen bird is, according to a superstitious belief, an animal that announces coming misfortune. By extension, the subject that predicts misfortunes is mentioned as a bird of bad omen .
Superstitious people flee from "omen birds"
In this case, the person who attracts misfortune and sorrow is also qualified in this way, something known as the term jinx . Depending on the culture, there are those who believe that this negative property can be acquired through a curse and that, therefore, it can be cured with another magical procedure.
It is also believed that some individuals cannot avoid attracting misfortune, that is, "they were born and will die doomsayers." Whether through an evil eye or hereditary reasons, people who believe in this phenomenon try to keep a considerable distance from the ominous birds , to prevent their negative energies from reaching them and affecting their health or future.