Aficionados of internet discourse may recall the vogue for deeming things “stochastic terrorism.” A stochastic process has a strong element of randomness, even when the overall result is predictable. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what you might call the stochastic economy — the things we pay for to avoid outcomes that are statistically likely but individually rare. These discussions are happening as the disconnect grows between healthy economic indicators and Americans’ negative perceptions of the economy. You’ve entered the stochastic economy, paying a significant sum to prevent an accident that is statistically likely to happen to someone but not particularly likely to happen to you. Stochasticity helps explain the mystery of good economic data and bad economic vibes.

Source: Washington Post February 23, 2026 02:04 UTC