Seven minutes to midnight.

February 27, 2002 11:11 AM

Seven minutes to midnight. "Today, the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves the minute hand of the 'Doomsday Clock,' the symbol of nuclear danger, from nine to seven minutes to midnight, the same setting at which the clock debuted 55 years ago. Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, this is the third time the hand has moved forward."
posted by dnash (29 comments total)

Here's a history of the Doomsday Clock.
posted by geoff. at 11:16 AM on February 27, 2002

Seven minutes?! Fuck. I really wanted a baked potato first.

That said, this is really just symbolic alarmism for the sake of easy publicity. Which is, y'know, fine and awareness-raising and all that. But about all I can do is keep on keepin' on and try and do what little I can.

I do like this quote from the Laureates: To survive in the world we have transformed, we must learn to think in a new way.

Uh . . . okay. I'll get right on that. What a silly, portentous thing to write.
posted by Skot at 11:31 AM on February 27, 2002

I never understood the mystical hold this device seems to have on people. The word "Doomsday," probably. All this is is a bunch of scientists locating the probability of nuclear annihilation on a (roughly) 1-15 scale. Not that they're not qualified to opine on the matter, but they're certainly not uniquely qualified.

Right, Skot, nothing more than a brilliant evergreen PR gimmick, right up there with Mr. Blackwell and his Worst Dressed, the Year's Most Unsafe Toys, and 25 Things This Year's College Freshman Don't Know.
posted by luser at 12:20 PM on February 27, 2002

From that history page:

"Since the Cold War, many people believe the clock has lost its apocalyptic meaning; today movements of the hand may seem more ambiguous. "

Yep.
posted by smackfu at 12:57 PM on February 27, 2002

Dudes, this is serious. A group of people who pay attention to the potential for nuclear war have declared an increased potential for nuclear war.

This isn't "chance of rain." This is the real deal.
posted by Elvis at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2002

as much as i say dude, i couldn't take you seriously with the Keanu Reeves/Ted Logan *(from Bill and Ted) voice I immediately associated your comment with... that said, the doomsday clock sounds like a very crappy artifact magic the gathering card that probably costs seven mana to cast and just takes away ten life from each player and creature after five turns...
posted by lotsofno at 2:09 PM on February 27, 2002

The real deal?

As long as the weapons exist, each minute of the day is the "real deal" as far as I'm concerned.
posted by dopamine at 2:21 PM on February 27, 2002

Attacking Iraq ASAP would buy us at least one second extra.
posted by ParisParamus at 2:38 PM on February 27, 2002

Man, what kind of goofy time zone is that dang clock in, anyway?
posted by whuppy at 2:54 PM on February 27, 2002

Right, Skot, nothing more than a brilliant evergreen PR gimmick, right up there with Mr. Blackwell and his Worst Dressed, the Year's Most Unsafe Toys, and 25 Things This Year's College Freshman Don't Know.

In your case, I guess it's "pretend the problem doesn't exist and hope it goes away".

I'd laugh at you if you weren't so damn stupid.
posted by mark13 at 3:47 PM on February 27, 2002

I don't see anything particularly ironic or humorous about a group of experts saying that we are notably closer to nuclear armageddon than we were yesterday.
posted by Hildago at 3:50 PM on February 27, 2002

this clock sounds dangerous, find out where it is and call in a tactical nuke.
posted by selton at 4:00 PM on February 27, 2002

Hildalgo, I think the thing is that they may have a better basis of knowledge of capabilities and risks and everything, but they are still taking a stab in the dark. It's a guesstimate. The actual chance depends on human behavior which is not predictable, not to mention the element of chance. It's a gimmick that gets them a mention on the evening news so they can opine about various issues.

Just keep it in perspective, is all.
posted by dhartung at 4:12 PM on February 27, 2002

ParisParamus: "Attacking Iraq ASAP would buy us at least one second extra."

I assume this was another attempt at satire.

If we take out Iraq it's just going to increase the paranoia of other countries that already think America is the reason the end of the world is coming. [sarcasm] Fulfilling prophecy's never been so much fun. [/sarcasm]

It's a gimmick intended not only to sell copies but to get the point across that we are potentially the means of our own demise.
posted by ZachsMind at 4:40 PM on February 27, 2002

I assume this was another attempt at satire.

Why would that be satire? It's common sense! I don't care about the opinions of countries which oppose taking out Iraq: they are either clueless or just as bad as Iraq.
posted by ParisParamus at 4:55 PM on February 27, 2002

And it's that very attitude which is why we're seven minutes to midnight. Without mutual understanding, we see one another as a heartless enemy, when in fact the enemy is just as human and fallible as we are.

Dehumanize the enemy and we won't have to worry about the doomsday clock anymore.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:05 PM on February 27, 2002

Considering that placing US troops in Georgia essentially surrounds Iran on three sides, I don't think Iraq will be the next target. Strategically, Iran is much more valuable. Sigh.
posted by joemaller at 5:56 PM on February 27, 2002

*grabs ukulele, vaudeville warble*
(Please don't talk about me when I'm gone!)
posted by sheauga at 5:58 PM on February 27, 2002

"I don't see anything particularly ironic or humorous about a group of experts saying ..."

My goodness, you're kidding ... there is something both ironic and humorous about nearly anything a "group of experts" says ...

For instance ...

The irony: This is, after all, the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists for cripes sake, who says about itself "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, founded by a group of World War II-era Manhattan Project scientists, has warned the world of nuclear dangers since 1945."

Didja get that? Starting in the year that the atomic bomb was used for the first time in history, a very tiny group of the few people capable of even conceiving of such a thing, and without whom it would not have been possible, took it upon themselves to "warn the world of nuclear dangers".

Dude, if you don't get the irony in that, you ain't gonna find it in anything.

The humor: (from a sidebar on the site): Last May, the Bulletin invited artists, architects, and other visionaries to submit their designs for a “memorial” to house the world’s excess weapons plutonium. Here's an update on entries in the Plutonium Memorial Design Contest, who the judges will be, and when and where an exhibit will be held. Look for the winning entries in the May/June 2002 Bulletin. In the article itself is the positively priceless header "Plutonium Disposal Doesn’t Have To Be Ugly or Boring".

What can one say? (Something like "yeah, but as good as plutonium disposal gets, it's uranium burial that's where all the hot girls go - I mean, it issss ssssssmokin'").
posted by MidasMulligan at 6:00 PM on February 27, 2002

The actual chance depends on human behavior which is not predictable, not to mention the element of chance. It's a gimmick that gets them a mention on the evening news so they can opine about various issues.

Just keep it in perspective, is all.

You have a point. And to a certain degree it's safe to say that the only reason for people who know better than to make wild stabs in the dark on important issues making wild stabs in the dark on important issues is to draw attention to them. And that's useful, but also manipulative.
posted by Hildago at 7:05 PM on February 27, 2002

Nuclear waste is supposed to be boring! That's a sign of a successful program. :)
posted by sheauga at 7:07 PM on February 27, 2002

The Nuclear Guardianship Project for the Responsible Care of Radioactive Wastes.

"A Guardian Site is anyplace where there is nuclear waste or radioactively contaminated structures. We imagine them becoming places of contemplation and pilgrimage ...

One keg of waste and three kegs of beer!
It's time to get wasted, and the party is here!
posted by sheauga at 7:18 PM on February 27, 2002

I respect this group's right to opine on the issues more than I would a lot of other groups, just because of their history. A lot of the scientists who worked on the bomb had crises of conscience after they saw the results of its use. Still others began to fear whether the world could avoid WWIII, as the tensions began to rise between the US and Soviet blocs after the war. In terms of warning the world of the dangers of nuclear war, they were the originals.

The clock seems fuzzier, more open to random interpretation now than it did during the Cold War. But that's because the world is the same way. Back in the Cold War, I always thought the clock was a good reminder - something that could make the headlines and break people out of the constant analysis of whether the US or the USSR was "winning" - if only for a moment.

The clock may be less useful now than it was during the Cold War, but I think it's a good thing to keep around. I'm sort of wondering where all of this cynicism is coming from - do you think the world would be a better place if no one was sounding the alarm about the dangers of nuclear conflict?
posted by Chanther at 8:08 PM on February 27, 2002

50 facts abvout U.S. Nuclear Weapons.
posted by trioperative at 9:10 PM on February 27, 2002

And it's that very attitude which is why we're seven minutes to midnight. Without mutual understanding, we see one another as a heartless enemy, when in fact the enemy is just as human and fallible as we are.

Zach: I fully agree. Saddam Hussein is a warm, fuzzy, human being, whom we would surely love if we could just get to know him. If he rose to power by murder, gassed his own people, and starves them today to maintain his palaces and his Republican Guard, and killed his brother and countless untrustworthy sons in law, all in the name of maintaining his ruthless, bloody rule, why, it's merely because he's fallible. Yes, I truly see the wisdom of your course of action. I'll begin writing the mash note right now.
posted by dhartung at 10:04 PM on February 27, 2002

Homer Simpson is real (scroll down) I, II, and III: World’s Dumbest Nuclear Accidents.

Funny and tragic at the same time, like a dead clown.
posted by euphorb at 10:09 PM on February 27, 2002

Reading the article about the clock move is like being in an old Gary Larsen cartoon. Blah blah blah U.S. blah blah U.S. blah U.S..

Basically, the gist I got was:

1) The U.S. has lots of money, is evil, and contributes to nuclear war.
2) Russia doesn't have so much money anymore, and are pushing for disarmament.
3) Terrorists want nukes.
4) India is scary. Pakistan is scary, too.
5) George Bush is ultra scary.

Seems pretty straightforward. Am I worried about nuclear weapons? Somehow I have this feeling that we are either in a mutual assured destruction situation (Russia) or we are in a "the US is gonna pound your country into the dirt and you might get a couple hundred thousand Americans" situation. However, I don't know much about nukes so I could be completely wrong.
posted by xyzzy at 4:09 AM on February 28, 2002

Saddam Hussein is a warm, fuzzy, human being

Perhaps not, but your Vice President doesn't seem to have had much compunction about doing business with him.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:47 AM on February 28, 2002

I'm sort of wondering where all of this cynicism is coming from - do you think the world would be a better place if no one was sounding the alarm about the dangers of nuclear conflict?

In my case, the cynicism comes from the fact that it is atomic scientists that started, and still maintain this.

The science to pull off nuclear weaponry that works is not easy - only a tiny group of people on earth possess the knowledge to do it. This is not contraband one cooks up in their bathtub.

The group of scientists that started the whole notion of the clock, and who still maintain it, ARE among those in that small group capable of constructing the things.

They want us to pay attention to the fact that they move the hands back and forth between 11:52pm and 11:55pm. What is never mentioned (and that stands out rather glaringly to me) is that this is the group of people responsible for moving it from 12am to 11:52pm in the first place. They themselves turned their brains towards unleashing the most destructive force in the history of our race, and then have the balls to lecture the government they did it for about it's responsibilities.

Sorry, their arbitrary opinion about where to put the hands of a clock, and their tendency to lecture the world as though they stand on some elevated moral platform rings deeply false.
posted by MidasMulligan at 8:44 AM on February 28, 2002