I’ve been watching this clock for 40 years, also watched it get enshitified the last 20 years.
It has always been a symbol of empire, run by many the same fools who enabled the madness. But the revolving door and who contributes got worse since the 1990s. And it’s just some thing now.
They may be wrong or correct, who am I to know. But not to be relied on, I think
I grew up in the 1980's doing duck-and-cover drills in school until the Berlin Wall came down. Growing up a science nerd who practically lived at the library, it was pretty obvious that duck-and-cover would do jack-and-shit if anybody ever pressed the big red button. So, I had to come to terms with the possibility that somebody might nuke where I grew up, probably far too early than was good for my mental health.
What it comes down to is this: In the unlikely event that somebody pops off a nuclear weapon, there is precisely dick that you, I, or anybody else likely to read this thread could do about it. It's way above any of our pay grades, to steal a phrase. The only thing you can really do is take heart in the fact that there is nothing you did to cause it and nothing you can do to stop it, just like a solar flare or a gamma ray burst. The best you can hope for is that you're somewhere in the first two blast radii because the most likely outcome is a bright flash, and that'll be that. No suffering, no radiation sickness, no cancer eating you alive months to years later.
I get that's not the kind of response you're looking for, and I can't blame you for that. However, neither am I willing to lie. Nuclear war is possibly one of the most horrible things the human race is capable of, and there is no happy medium, nothing reassuring, nothing hopeful that can be said.
And this is well before Trump's announcement of nuclear testing resumption.
If he actually goes through with it, everyone will know because it shows up on seismographs, something he's apparently ignorant of... And the comission will surely move it closer.
I am extremely concerned. There's never been somone so unscientifically minded, with no one knowledgable on nuclear warfare advising him directly, with their finger on the button like this.
And what's annoying is that my relatives do not care. Even the scientifically minded ones. There is absolutely nothing Trump can do wrong, at least nothing that can get through without being warped and dismissed as hysteria. That in itself is scary, as there's now no "political fallout" check on Trump's actions until 401Ks literally evaporate.
If he actually goes through with it, everyone will know because it shows up on seismographs, something he's apparently ignorant of...
Remember, this is the same man that thinks the stealth bomber is literally invisible, or that you neutralize a magnet simply by getting it wet, or that you take fries out of the boiling oil with your hands (he learned you don't while doing his pretend day at McDonald's).
A friend of mine just got her first real break from her 3-yo-kid in a while... she caught up on the news... by the next day she was in the ER having a full panic attack she couldn't stop.
i feel this whole clock thing is such a liberal jerk off grounded in idealism not materialism. theyve been edging on 89 seconds to midnight since 2024.
i remember them moving the clock forward when north korea did some missile test a long time ago, as if north korea are the global aggressors 🙄. and of course it was 7 minutes to midnight during the cuban missile crisis.
trump threatening war on like 5 different countries is worrying, but i feel its mostly just MIC stock manipulation.
My suspicion is that the clock accelerated significantly because of climate change. Even if we don't nuke each other, climate change is a slow burn, self-inflicted destruction by humans. Either way, both scenarios lead to a hot extinction.
I am very worried about the US starting WW3. It’s March of 1939, and nazis are actively fabricating a casus belli against weaker foreign political enemies.
We are in it already. Its an information and psy-ops war. Propaganda, fear, manipulation, controlling tech platforms, making people fight eachother over race, gender, whatever.
This is why everyone feels anxious.
Its not going to be a day when we see on the news that we are in a world war. Its ongoing and quiet.
History books may say that it started around 9/11, but depends on who writes the history...
Climate change won't end the world, though that isn't to say it won't make things hell on earth. Nuclear war however could very well end all life on earth.
Life would still exist. I don't think there is anything humanity could do that would completely end life. There is life living tens of kilometers underground in the lithosphere and life in such remote caves that have been separated from all other environments for millions of years.
Yeah I just assumed but then again I sorta assume russias numbers are a bit bs. Of course our numbers are becoming bs and if we don't right the ship hopefully the corruption will drain our power away like what happened with russia.
Russia has been shown to be a paper tiger. China wants to dominate through trade not warfare. Everybody else doesn't really have an axe to grind. At least, not on that scale.
America against something.
The possibility of Trump launching military operation against Mexico, Canada, Denmark, China, or whatever his dying brain will come up with next is small, but not zero.
I don't know what will happen if Trump will annex Greenland. I don't know what will happen if he nukes Mexico. I don't know what will happen if he puts military ships in China water to intimidate them into giving him money. But I can't rule out this and many more idiotic actions of his.
My guess is venezuela is going to 'kick it off.' Trump does something stupid as another bit of red meat to toss to his little horde, he pushes argentina to help in some way, maybe he gets really brazen and tries something against brazil for their crime of daring to say anything against him (and maybe because he still has bad feelings about them from when musk was his little bestie), and china and russia decide to get rich by selling weapons to the south american countries, who will obviously have feelings about the whole us invasion. That pulls american attention away from asia, letting china have more options in their local area to bully around, and that kicks off something from that area.
Europe, africa, and the middle east might get out mostly free of conflict. The ukraine/russia war will likely still plod along.
Reminder that they basically changed the scale in the 90's, when history was supposed to be over. It's higher now than during the damn Cuban missile crisis, not because we're somehow closer, but because of a kind of ratchet effect as a very baseline Cold War level of tension returns.
The Doomsday Clock was last updated January 2025, I remember having watched it live when the update was announced. But it's pretty much out of date at this point, especially due to news from the most recent few weeks.
While we're "just" two months from the next update (yeah, time flies), perhaps the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists should consider updating it every three months or, even, every month...
...even though the Doomsday Clock have been had a similar role and power that of UN: none at all, they can't even stop nuclear countries from pushing the juicy fan-with-three-blades passion-colored button, shall any of these countries decide doing it for the sake of it.
Which reminds me of a joke: "What's the difference between a rock and the UN? A rock can be thrown during a tantrum, at least". Similarly, "What do the Doomsday Clock and a sundial have in common? Both can't tell you the time during the night time".
I go to bed at 8. So if you all did the same we wouldn't need to worry.
But you don't, so I am very worried. I married someone who is incredibly unaware of caring about news. To the point that they would have gone on a cruise to Jamaica last week for the music and dancing. Completely clueless person. The moment I say anything like "we should cancel because..." Or "maybe we should avoid the area due to the largest, most powerful hurricane ever" she goes crazy berserk on me.
Good luck to you all, I'm going to be a stained sidewalk and or wall somewhere. Hopefully somewhere important so passersby will know it was me who perished there...me, the stain of the sidewalk man ofcourse. Unless maybe I carry my information engraved in a quartz tablet with me at all times!
i'm not at all concerned since the us is led by a mentally stable person who definitely thinks before he acts while considering all possibilities, outcomes, and consequences and doesn't get all his information from cable news.
Whatever your stance on the Pedophile Felon President, basically all of his policies are inevitable going to destroy the economy of the USA. Once that happens, the only option would be to use force internally to control the people and internationally to literally steal what they need to stay afloat
The people of the USA are still deluding themselves that their military will be loyal to the people because they didn't march super well for the Rapist in Chief that day... ignoring the military has followed every single idiotic order to date without as much as a follow up question
Unless we see another event like covid, it's 110% sure pedonald will want to play with his war toys before the next "election" (that he'll win with Putin like percentage). Pretty sure he will try something on Canada soon enough, and pretty much any other countries than Russia are potential target. In my dystopic scenarios, the billionaire elite is ready to solve the climate crisis by whipping 80% of the earth's population, AI and automation are almost ready, they just need a couple million slaves to work and entertain them (how do you feel powerful without people to fear you?).
I'm not nearly as concerned about global war as I am about Civil War. There are enough reasonable leaders on all sides that if the few really whacky ones get froggy, they'll get dealt with.
The world biggest problem is the 800 pound gorilla in the White House. He's everybody's loose cannon.
It is on the back of my mind, but there's only so much I can do as a civilian. And I've already got enough personal stuff to keep me busy before turning to the news.
Not at all with the number of nuclear armed dictator ( with different level of dementia between all of them ) in power right now the next war will end pretty fast and also all life everywhere
I mean the article was in January and no world leader was randomly starting wars with other countries, showing incredible mental deterioration or talking about testing their nuclear missiles and asking if they would go to heaven so I'm sure it's fine....
If the fascists do attack Europe, it will be with overwhelming force across the ocean to destroy us, rather than invasion. I don't really see a way we win that.
Sure, we could fight back with our own nukes, but they number in the hundreds, and the USA is too large for that few to truly end the threat of renewed attacks :-(
i dont think theres much chance of US attacking Europe at all. more likely the struggle could be many millions of starving russians hoping to move in without much employability.
It's a real concern, but Ukraine war is proceeding to its just conclusion. EU will accept it better than they let on. It's expected that world will allow US war on Venezuela without any compassion, just weapons profits. Because resisting US through proxy war is more profitable than sinking its air carrier battle group, through nuclear strike/torpedo, there is less risk of doomsday than 1-2 years ago. Europe will try to get nuked though.
64 Comments
limer@lemmy.ml · 62 pts · 328d
I’ve been watching this clock for 40 years, also watched it get enshitified the last 20 years.
It has always been a symbol of empire, run by many the same fools who enabled the madness. But the revolving door and who contributes got worse since the 1990s. And it’s just some thing now.
They may be wrong or correct, who am I to know. But not to be relied on, I think
drwho@lemmy.ml · 42 pts · 327d
Honestly? Not very.
I grew up in the 1980's doing duck-and-cover drills in school until the Berlin Wall came down. Growing up a science nerd who practically lived at the library, it was pretty obvious that duck-and-cover would do jack-and-shit if anybody ever pressed the big red button. So, I had to come to terms with the possibility that somebody might nuke where I grew up, probably far too early than was good for my mental health.
What it comes down to is this: In the unlikely event that somebody pops off a nuclear weapon, there is precisely dick that you, I, or anybody else likely to read this thread could do about it. It's way above any of our pay grades, to steal a phrase. The only thing you can really do is take heart in the fact that there is nothing you did to cause it and nothing you can do to stop it, just like a solar flare or a gamma ray burst. The best you can hope for is that you're somewhere in the first two blast radii because the most likely outcome is a bright flash, and that'll be that. No suffering, no radiation sickness, no cancer eating you alive months to years later.
I get that's not the kind of response you're looking for, and I can't blame you for that. However, neither am I willing to lie. Nuclear war is possibly one of the most horrible things the human race is capable of, and there is no happy medium, nothing reassuring, nothing hopeful that can be said.
Hug your loved ones.
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 328d
Trump's cabinet probably:
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 24 pts · 328d
More like this:
AtariDump@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 327d
Mein Führer, I can walk!
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 327d
All that movie highlights is that nothing has really changed in 60 years.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 326d
It's definitely way funnier than reality that's for sure
sanguinepar@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 328d
And that's the doves. The hawks are more like...
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 327d
Now playing The Doves - Rise
brucethemoose@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 328d
And this is well before Trump's announcement of nuclear testing resumption.
If he actually goes through with it, everyone will know because it shows up on seismographs, something he's apparently ignorant of... And the comission will surely move it closer.
I am extremely concerned. There's never been somone so unscientifically minded, with no one knowledgable on nuclear warfare advising him directly, with their finger on the button like this.
And what's annoying is that my relatives do not care. Even the scientifically minded ones. There is absolutely nothing Trump can do wrong, at least nothing that can get through without being warped and dismissed as hysteria. That in itself is scary, as there's now no "political fallout" check on Trump's actions until 401Ks literally evaporate.
TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social · 8 pts · 328d
Remember, this is the same man that thinks the stealth bomber is literally invisible, or that you neutralize a magnet simply by getting it wet, or that you take fries out of the boiling oil with your hands (he learned you don't while doing his pretend day at McDonald's).
confuser@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 326d
Lmao I'd like to hear more about the the boiling hand thing, where can I read about this?
yermaw@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 328d
Im currently on the ostrich defence.
I stopped watching the news, I blocked as much news as I can on here and reddit.
Piece of piss.
BanMe@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 327d
A friend of mine just got her first real break from her 3-yo-kid in a while... she caught up on the news... by the next day she was in the ER having a full panic attack she couldn't stop.
She's a therapist.
marcie@lemmy.ml · 15 pts · 327d
i feel this whole clock thing is such a liberal jerk off grounded in idealism not materialism. theyve been edging on 89 seconds to midnight since 2024.
i remember them moving the clock forward when north korea did some missile test a long time ago, as if north korea are the global aggressors 🙄. and of course it was 7 minutes to midnight during the cuban missile crisis.
trump threatening war on like 5 different countries is worrying, but i feel its mostly just MIC stock manipulation.
TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 326d
My suspicion is that the clock accelerated significantly because of climate change. Even if we don't nuke each other, climate change is a slow burn, self-inflicted destruction by humans. Either way, both scenarios lead to a hot extinction.
BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 327d
I am very worried about the US starting WW3. It’s March of 1939, and nazis are actively fabricating a casus belli against weaker foreign political enemies.
1984@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 326d
We are in it already. Its an information and psy-ops war. Propaganda, fear, manipulation, controlling tech platforms, making people fight eachother over race, gender, whatever.
This is why everyone feels anxious.
Its not going to be a day when we see on the news that we are in a world war. Its ongoing and quiet.
History books may say that it started around 9/11, but depends on who writes the history...
AnnaFrankfurter@lemmy.ml · 14 pts · 327d
If I see a mushroom cloud I'm running towards it. No need to go to work, no need to pay back mortgage.
dumbass@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 326d
Just wait, the shockwave will get to you soon enough.
sexy_peach@feddit.org · 14 pts · 328d
I'm not very concerned about global war.
China doesn't want war, Europe doesn't want it. Sure the US might attack someone, but that's not global war.
caseyweederman@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 327d
In this hypothetical situation you're proposing, who is it the US is attacking?
anomnom@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 326d
South America? He already is fucking worth Venezuela, probably would attack Cuba, Columbia, and Panama as well.
He’d invade a whole bunch of Central America too if he knew any of the other countries’ names.
caseyweederman@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 326d
Those places aren't in the world?
AmericanEconomicThinkTank@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 326d
If we're talking the bomb? Not very.
Climate change is a bigger fish to fry.
crimsonpoodle@pawb.social · 4 pts · 326d
They mention climate change in their statement
Tenderizer78@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 326d
Climate change won't end the world, though that isn't to say it won't make things hell on earth. Nuclear war however could very well end all life on earth.
SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 326d
Life would still exist. I don't think there is anything humanity could do that would completely end life. There is life living tens of kilometers underground in the lithosphere and life in such remote caves that have been separated from all other environments for millions of years.
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 326d
We could create and detonate about a ton of antimatter. That should be enough to crack the planet again.
/s
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 327d
The people who have the power to burn it all down are unstable. I am concerned, but helpless.
HubertManne@piefed.social · 10 pts · 327d
largest military and nuclear stockpile country going full facist. Its one second to midnight from my view.
ZC3rr0r@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 327d
I agree with the sentiment, but in going to "uhm acksually" you on the size of the nuclear stockpile. Russia still holds more nukes officially: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons
HubertManne@piefed.social · 0 pts · 327d
Yeah I just assumed but then again I sorta assume russias numbers are a bit bs. Of course our numbers are becoming bs and if we don't right the ship hopefully the corruption will drain our power away like what happened with russia.
wewbull@feddit.uk · 10 pts · 327d
Global war between who?
Russia has been shown to be a paper tiger. China wants to dominate through trade not warfare. Everybody else doesn't really have an axe to grind. At least, not on that scale.
Nalivai@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 327d
America against something.
The possibility of Trump launching military operation against Mexico, Canada, Denmark, China, or whatever his dying brain will come up with next is small, but not zero.
I don't know what will happen if Trump will annex Greenland. I don't know what will happen if he nukes Mexico. I don't know what will happen if he puts military ships in China water to intimidate them into giving him money. But I can't rule out this and many more idiotic actions of his.
burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 326d
My guess is venezuela is going to 'kick it off.' Trump does something stupid as another bit of red meat to toss to his little horde, he pushes argentina to help in some way, maybe he gets really brazen and tries something against brazil for their crime of daring to say anything against him (and maybe because he still has bad feelings about them from when musk was his little bestie), and china and russia decide to get rich by selling weapons to the south american countries, who will obviously have feelings about the whole us invasion. That pulls american attention away from asia, letting china have more options in their local area to bully around, and that kicks off something from that area.
Europe, africa, and the middle east might get out mostly free of conflict. The ukraine/russia war will likely still plod along.
humanspiral@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 326d
Venezuela is target #1. Very unlikely to use nuclear weapons. Bomb some more people, and declare victory after Exxon contract awarded.
He won't confront China
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 327d
US also proved itself a paper tiger,
it'll be a way between senile geriatrics trying to feel relevant
partofthevoice@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 327d
wewbull@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 326d
I'm not sure Hong Kong is a good example. It was returned to China from the UK in the 90s. So everything since then is "internal".
Tibet on the other hand...
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 9 pts · 326d
Reminder that they basically changed the scale in the 90's, when history was supposed to be over. It's higher now than during the damn Cuban missile crisis, not because we're somehow closer, but because of a kind of ratchet effect as a very baseline Cold War level of tension returns.
savedbythezsh@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 326d
I don't understand what you mean. Can you suggest what to research to learn more?
tgirlschierke@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 327d
A bit more concerned now that the US is resuming nuclear tests.
To be honest, the idea of nuclear weapons ever being used again is far scarier to me than WW3 in general.
dsilverz@calckey.world · 6 pts · 328d
@KingPorkChop@lemmy.ca @asklemmy@lemmy.ml
The Doomsday Clock was last updated January 2025, I remember having watched it live when the update was announced. But it's pretty much out of date at this point, especially due to news from the most recent few weeks.
While we're "just" two months from the next update (yeah, time flies), perhaps the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists should consider updating it every three months or, even, every month...
...even though the Doomsday Clock have been had a similar role and power that of UN: none at all, they can't even stop nuclear countries from pushing the juicy fan-with-three-blades passion-colored button, shall any of these countries decide doing it for the sake of it.
Which reminds me of a joke: "What's the difference between a rock and the UN? A rock can be thrown during a tantrum, at least". Similarly, "What do the Doomsday Clock and a sundial have in common? Both can't tell you the time during the night time".
altphoto@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 327d
I go to bed at 8. So if you all did the same we wouldn't need to worry.
But you don't, so I am very worried. I married someone who is incredibly unaware of caring about news. To the point that they would have gone on a cruise to Jamaica last week for the music and dancing. Completely clueless person. The moment I say anything like "we should cancel because..." Or "maybe we should avoid the area due to the largest, most powerful hurricane ever" she goes crazy berserk on me.
Good luck to you all, I'm going to be a stained sidewalk and or wall somewhere. Hopefully somewhere important so passersby will know it was me who perished there...me, the stain of the sidewalk man ofcourse. Unless maybe I carry my information engraved in a quartz tablet with me at all times!
1985MustangCobra@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 326d
find someone better, or at the very least just do your own thing.
Formfiller@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 328d
Extremely concerned. The rise of facism always means mass death
jaykrown@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 327d
It's always been midnight.
HurlingDurling@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 327d
At this point I just want closure, so either let's all shoot each other nukes, or fucking begone with this danger close bullshit
nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 326d
How are they determining this
InputZero@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 326d
By vibes. Legit that's all it is.
cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 325d
i'm not at all concerned since the us is led by a mentally stable person who definitely thinks before he acts while considering all possibilities, outcomes, and consequences and doesn't get all his information from cable news.
Jhex@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 326d
War is basically inevitable at this point
Whatever your stance on the Pedophile Felon President, basically all of his policies are inevitable going to destroy the economy of the USA. Once that happens, the only option would be to use force internally to control the people and internationally to literally steal what they need to stay afloat
The people of the USA are still deluding themselves that their military will be loyal to the people because they didn't march super well for the Rapist in Chief that day... ignoring the military has followed every single idiotic order to date without as much as a follow up question
DrDystopia@lemy.lol · 3 pts · 328d
It's the great equalizer, everybody will suffer and die equally while those hiding in bunkers will be sealed in with concrete by angry ghouls.
juliebean@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 328d
if my nightmares last night are anything to go by, i must be concerned about that on some level.
Yerbouti@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 327d
Unless we see another event like covid, it's 110% sure pedonald will want to play with his war toys before the next "election" (that he'll win with Putin like percentage). Pretty sure he will try something on Canada soon enough, and pretty much any other countries than Russia are potential target. In my dystopic scenarios, the billionaire elite is ready to solve the climate crisis by whipping 80% of the earth's population, AI and automation are almost ready, they just need a couple million slaves to work and entertain them (how do you feel powerful without people to fear you?).
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 327d
richardmtanguay@lemmings.world · 2 pts · 326d
I'm not worried about the war! I'm worried about what will happen after the war!!! :-(
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 327d
I'm not nearly as concerned about global war as I am about Civil War. There are enough reasonable leaders on all sides that if the few really whacky ones get froggy, they'll get dealt with.
The world biggest problem is the 800 pound gorilla in the White House. He's everybody's loose cannon.
monovergent@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 328d
It is on the back of my mind, but there's only so much I can do as a civilian. And I've already got enough personal stuff to keep me busy before turning to the news.
HeadfullofSoup@kbin.earth · 1 pts · 328d
Not at all with the number of nuclear armed dictator ( with different level of dementia between all of them ) in power right now the next war will end pretty fast and also all life everywhere
JayK117@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 327d
I mean the article was in January and no world leader was randomly starting wars with other countries, showing incredible mental deterioration or talking about testing their nuclear missiles and asking if they would go to heaven so I'm sure it's fine....
obinice@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 328d
If the fascists do attack Europe, it will be with overwhelming force across the ocean to destroy us, rather than invasion. I don't really see a way we win that.
Sure, we could fight back with our own nukes, but they number in the hundreds, and the USA is too large for that few to truly end the threat of renewed attacks :-(
Num10ck@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 327d
i dont think theres much chance of US attacking Europe at all. more likely the struggle could be many millions of starving russians hoping to move in without much employability.
humanspiral@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 326d
It's a real concern, but Ukraine war is proceeding to its just conclusion. EU will accept it better than they let on. It's expected that world will allow US war on Venezuela without any compassion, just weapons profits. Because resisting US through proxy war is more profitable than sinking its air carrier battle group, through nuclear strike/torpedo, there is less risk of doomsday than 1-2 years ago. Europe will try to get nuked though.
yunglucifer@lemmings.world · -1 pts · 325d
This clock thing is fucking stupid.