The laser damage threshold is a term and figure of merit used ubiquitously in our field. The concept of a damage threshold is deep seated, with origins dating to 1960s. The laser damage threshold has been used as a universal figure of merit for damage resistance, safe operation, and the basis of years of efforts to develop a standard damage test. To address the question, “Is the damage threshold a good and universal figure of merit for characterizing laser damage resistance?” this paper assesses the invariant of the weakest site, the threshold, in a spatial domain of an area A. It is shown that the weakest site in an area is not invariant. The implications of these results for the continued development of damage standards are discussed.