re: #173 Dopamine Fish

Likewise, the counter-play to this is to call the bluff. Because unlike my bank-robbery scenario, if you push a nuclear bully and he pushes the button, millions will die - and even the most depraved psychopath would think twice about pushing that button.

If school shootings have taught me anything it is to not rely on the restraint of depraved psychopaths. If there are people out there that are willing to walk into a school and shoot dozens of children up close and personal, I have no doubt that a real depraved psychopath wouldn’t hesitated to kill millions of faceless people at a distance if it suited them. So far most of the psychopaths in positions of power are strongly motivated by personal preservation and enrichment, but I am not willing to predict how they might react if their position was put in jeopardy.

I agree we can probably call Putin’s bluff on nuke’s, but I think there are people who would relish the opportunity to go out in a blaze of glory and take as many people as they can with them.