Yes, these tweets are jokes. But also, my first thought was, dude, your name has literally been in use since the Bronze Age. Alexander has been a commonplace name across cultures since Alexander the Great in 300s BC, and it far predates that with examples such as Alaksandu King of Wilusa in 1200s BC. Why wouldn’t there be a Paul in the future? Names can last a long time.
The second tweet—by a random user, so I’ve blocked the name—is even more off. In the Dune universe, “spice” is just the nickname for the substance called “melange.” But that’s exactly how language works! In 2024 we are transported around in vehicles that are powered by petroleum that we all call “oil.” Oil also comes from ancient Greek, via Latin, from olive oil. According to Etymology Online, “[i]n English it meant ‘olive oil’ exclusively till c. 1300.” At some point, humans decided flammable liquids looked kinda like olive oil and started calling those substances “oil.”
Source: Dune Names Are Good, Actually - by Lincoln Michel [archive]