Comment by IgorPartola | Hacker News Reader

Comment by IgorPartola | Hacker News Reader

As a Ukrainian in the US, I am not scared of that. I am scared for the people over there. Hell, I am scared for the 19 year old Russian conscripts that were marched into Ukraine under what seems to be like false pretenses. Those kids and actual children hiding in basements and subways there are all really truly scared. The women being raped there are scared and I am scared for them.

But the nuclear attacks don’t scare me at this point. Best coping mechanism: stop lying to yourself that you must stay informed. Block your favorite news sites and focus on a project instead. Unless you want to get on a plane and go over there to fight (which the Ukrainian MOD has made an option for anyone who wants to [1]), what is your being informed actually doing for anyone at this point? If it is detrimental to your mental health trust me you should turn off the news and take care of yourself. Again, as someone whose home town is currently being shelled I think you should do that. Go create something useful in the world instead. That’s the right answer.

[1] https://kyivindependent.com/national/who-can-and-cant-join-u...

Excellent summary, if nuclear war starts all you need is a gun and enough bullets for your family.

It's brutal logic but there is nothing that an average person can do to survive nuclear war. Only remote isolated farmer/survival communities will be able to make it, if they will survive nuclear winter.

Anyone else in long term will not be able to get food with no petrol, electricity and slowly starve to death. And even if you are in surviving community the life will be back to limited tech, village-state civilization.

The idea that an all-out nuclear war will trigger a civilization-ending nuclear winter has been on shaky ground for a while now. It appears the likelihood of it happening to such a degree was based on the political/idealist desire to reduce the nuclear stockpile. [1][2]

For a more realistic view of nuclear war and its survivability, check out [2] (with a foreword by Edward Teller and author's note by Eugene Wigner of Wigner's friend fame).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter#Criticism_and_d... [2] Kearny, C. Nuclear war survival skills

With things like the Iron Dome and Patriot Missile System I'm certain the US has the capability to knock some number of incoming nuclear weapons out of the sky. People in rural and even suburban areas in the US will probably be fine, maybe lose a few years life expectancy due to cancers and the like.

Lack of insulin, antibiotics medical expertise.

That will take a higher toll then you might expect

I agree nuclear winter might not occur or not be all that impactful, however you still will have mass starvation as all supply chains will just disappear, including fuel for power plants. Cities will not be able to supply food and sustain themselves unless in very rare and specific scenarios.

One way or another not a fun place to live

Somebody's been watching way too much TV. Protecting yourself may be useful in an apocalypse, but it's far down the list. Top of the list is having some way to get clean water. Second is knowing and trusting your neighbors.

That gun is not for protection my friend

Username checks out.

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