doom-adjacent topic, worldpol, possible reassurance, dour
So for any of you who have been worried about the conflict in the Ukraine turning into omnicidal nuclear war, here's a very cold comfort:
Putin's got a real good chance of getting his kindred spirit and toadie into office in 2024. His propaganda war on us is one of the most successful in human history*. Why would he destroy a bunch of perfectly good real estate he's already paid for?
* SOURCE: own arsehole
doom-adjacent topic, worldpol, possible reassurance, dour
I'm not gonna say the fear isn't there... it was poured and pressed fairly deep into my perpetual thoughts since childhood of the 70s/80s and evangelical "helping"...
But I don't believe it's going to come to that.
... I say, because I have to tell myself that, or the spirals point out that power-hungry madmen have button access, and is spite stronger than humanity in someone that has no belief in the importance of any human beyond themselves...
... and then, I'm drowning...
... so... NO... we're not saying that... not at all... this will well go south... but not THAT south.
re: doom-adjacent topic, worldpol, possible reassurance, dour
@JulieSqveakaroo Peg and I were talking yesterday about another interesting factor that nobody talks about: the huge growth of corporate power between Cold War I and now.
My own employers have been pumping out FRANTIC dispatches to our Russian and Ukranian employees reminding them we're All One Big Family.
Paperclip maximizers have a big incentive to NOT LET THE SPECIES THAT MAKES THEIR PAPERCLIPS get destroyed. There are a lot of very powerful transnational entities that would really, really like to see this NOT end in (most unprofitable) omnicide.
Of course, we're also a planet full of deranged primates, so... This could all quite easily go Dr Strangelove. 🤷♀️ But I do kinda wonder if that's not a little added layer of protection, that everyone's already got their hands in someone else's pockets and... killing everybody would wreck a real good scam.
re: doom-adjacent topic, worldpol, possible reassurance, dour
@zebratron2084 ... I'm... a bit less confident, today... after news of actual voiced threats to that end...