It's always good to be aware of the threats that we could face. But is there a line between encouraging people to stay vigilant and driving them into an all-out panic?
This question is debatable, but a strange public service announcement (PSA) issued by New York City's official emergency management agency has gotten people more than a little bit freaked out.
It seems straightforward enough. The videos on the page mostly deal with stuff that's relatively predictable for New Yorkers: hurricanes, heat waves, and so on. They're done in multiple languages, which is a nice touch for a multicultural city.
This was a common thing way back in the day (just ask your grandparents). But ever since the end of the Cold War, there hasn't been much public safety messaging that deals with the possibility of a nuclear attack.
It starts with a long shot of a typical New York cityscape, featuring some iconic brownstone walk-ups. But there are no people on the street. Things feel eerie. It's like the opening scene from a zombie apocalypse movie.
Walking casually down the street, the video's host greets you with, "So there's been a nuclear attack."
Well, that isn't particularly comforting, but it certainly grabbed my attention. There's no way I'm skipping through this video, so let's hear what she has to say.
The video host takes her own advice and swiftly walks off the screen. For what it's worth, it's good advice to get inside and away from windows in the event of a nuclear emergency.
There's some nuance, but it amounts to "get inside at all costs and try to find a radio that hasn't been destroyed by radioactive fallout." Of course, since this is the 21st century, the video pleads with viewers to sign up for their mailing list.
The video ends on what it probably sees as a reassuring note. But after being surprised with the news that New York is under nuclear attack, it's hard to feel like we've got this. In fact, I don't even know what's going on.
Somehow, there's something ominous about one of the world's biggest cities randomly dropping a video about surviving nuclear attacks.
For what it's worth, New York mayor Eric Holder said that the video could apply to other natural disasters as well. "We always have to be prepared as New Yorkers," he said.
Well, there are more than 13,000 nuclear warheads in the world at this very moment. It might sound alarming, but we haven't seen a nuclear attack since 1945. Most countries with nuclear weapons understand that it's a zero-sum game, and nuclear war isn't worth it for anybody. It's what kept a fragile peace throughout the Cold War.
So no, it seems unlikely that New York is going to be nuked. But if it is, there's a video specifically for New Yorkers.
If you live in New York (or anywhere, really), this might fill you with a creeping sense of dread. But maybe that's just the price we pay for nuclear preparedness.
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