Old fart, retired
@mattblaze@federate.social @CStamp@mastodon.social @nyrath@spacey.space @simplenomad@rigor-mortis.nmrc.org Find “ways”. People have tried for 75 years. And no it wasn’t because people were evil, insane warmongers that it hasn’t happened. People were scared shitless about the possibility of nuclear war practically from the day after the Japanese bombings.
@mattblaze@federate.social @CStamp@mastodon.social @nyrath@spacey.space @simplenomad@rigor-mortis.nmrc.org If you’re in favor of unilateral surrender to others who DON’T give up their nukes, please say so.
@mattblaze@federate.social @CStamp@mastodon.social @nyrath@spacey.space @simplenomad@rigor-mortis.nmrc.org 2/2: the problem ultimately is, what do you do about nuclear weapons in a world in which nation-states still fight wars?
@mattblaze@federate.social @CStamp@mastodon.social @nyrath@spacey.space @simplenomad@rigor-mortis.nmrc.org 1/2: They tried to find an exit; but none logically existed. Ban nuclear weapons? Then we’re back to June 1945, when total strategic (conventional) war complete with burning down cities prompted the development of nukes in the first place. International control? The USA proposed it, the Soviet Union vetoed it (while secretly working to develop their own nukes). Mutual disarmament? The first side to cheat wins.
@mattblaze@federate.social @nyrath@spacey.space @simplenomad@rigor-mortis.nmrc.org The arms race was scary but as it turned out wasn’t apocalyptic. The WW2 vets who ran the world until about 1990 weren’t stupid or insane; they did everything they could to avoid nuclear war OTHER than unilateral surrender. And no, mutual disarmament was never realistic given the irreconcilable differences between the two sides.
@mattblaze@federate.social We might approach the nuclear precipice again if we ever returned to a situation of two rival zero-sum systems, one or other of which inevitably had to die. Fortunately Kennan was right that Communism could be contained and eventually outlasted.
@nyrath @mattblaze @simplenomad “Duck and Cover” may account for much of the generation gap between the WW2 vets and the Baby Boomers. The vets knew from personal experience how hideous war was; but they also saw what happens to people conquered by totalitarians. The Boomers by contrast grew up with an existential fear of annihilation; to them militarism was suicidal insanity.
@mattblaze@federate.social @CStamp@mastodon.social @nyrath@spacey.space @simplenomad@rigor-mortis.nmrc.org Give up? More like have no idea how to start. If you have a concrete suggestion beyond “do something” I’m all ears.