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I agree with you - people seem to forget how terrified we all were, of the Soviets and Americans annihilating us all in a blinding flash, within minutes of the

I agree with you - people seem to forget how terrified we all were, of the Soviets and Americans annihilating us all in a blinding flash, within minutes of the first sirens going off. I recently had a chance to talk to some kids about this (20-something, to my 50-something years old), and there was, seriously, befuddlement over the idea that we grew up in the 80's under the threat of nuclear annihilation. Somehow, they'd been aware that it was there - the parents had communicated it - but that it was such a significant factor in real life was just unfathomable to them. But, it really was something we were terrified of, all through the 70's and 80's. Within minutes, our entire world could be turned into a blinding flash and it would all be over - all it took was a politician to lose control. Seems we are still in that position today, but the kids don't seem to care.

throwanem 6y ago
We aren't really in that position today. The size, deliverability, and maintenance levels of both the US and the Russian nuclear stockpiles are nowhere near where they were forty years ago, and recent history has raised a lot of questions over whether even then they were where the zeitgeist believed them to be. No other country has stockpiles even remotely approaching the size it'd take to produce a conflict equal to Cold War fears. Unfortunately, the major change between the Cold War and now is that the existential risks facing our civilization back then turned out to be a lot more straightforward to solve.
- fit2rule 6y ago
  The weapons are still armed and point at us all. The magnitude might have changed, but the threat still exists.
perl4ever 6y ago
>But, it really was something we were terrified of, all through the 70's and 80's Not me, in the 80s, and I never heard any one talk about it. I mean, I read tons of books, and so the narrative you describe I'm very familiar with. But I never heard anyone in "real life" talk like that, not once. I'm not sure what you mean by "we are still in that position today" - surely we are not, because if a nuclear weapon goes off there is no reason to launch them all. And it's been proven so many times that nuclear powers do not respond to non-nuclear threats with nukes that it's taken for granted now.

throwanem 6y ago

We aren't really in that position today. The size, deliverability, and maintenance levels of both the US and the Russian nuclear stockpiles are nowhere near where they were forty years ago, and recent history has raised a lot of questions over whether even then they were where the zeitgeist believed them to be. No other country has stockpiles even remotely approaching the size it'd take to produce a conflict equal to Cold War fears. Unfortunately, the major change between the Cold War and now is that the existential risks facing our civilization back then turned out to be a lot more straightforward to solve.

fit2rule 6y ago
The weapons are still armed and point at us all. The magnitude might have changed, but the threat still exists.

perl4ever 6y ago

>But, it really was something we were terrified of, all through the 70's and 80's Not me, in the 80s, and I never heard any one talk about it. I mean, I read tons of books, and so the narrative you describe I'm very familiar with. But I never heard anyone in "real life" talk like that, not once. I'm not sure what you mean by "we are still in that position today" - surely we are not, because if a nuclear weapon goes off there is no reason to launch them all. And it's been proven so many times that nuclear powers do not respond to non-nuclear threats with nukes that it's taken for granted now.