Stand up

[deepfishy]

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of one of my favourite acts of heroism. My other favourite is this one from Oct 27, 1962. Neither of these guys are or were high-profile figures (how many of you had heard of them before?), yet their calm, critical thinking under pressure saved the world from nuclear warfare. Let me repeat that: Nuclear. Warfare.

I love these little moments in history because, when everyone around them was saying Aaah, Motherland! FIRE ZE MISSILES!, a single person said no. The world is full of the cautionary tales of people "just following orders". There are terrible atrocities, there are famous studies like the Milgram Experiment*. Following orders is easy. But these guys? These guys stood up and saved the world. And I think that's worth celebrating.

Stanislav Petrov, Vasiliy Arkhipov, may your names be honoured and your actions remembered, that your good example be followed.

___
*Incidentally, what doesn't often come up when the Milgram Experiment is discussed is that (in at least one of the experiment variations) some of the participants tricked the experimenter by only pretending to continue electroshocking the subject. Humanity isn't a complete tar pit, trust me.

Comments

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Sept 26 1983 (in the US) was also the day Australia II won the America's Cup. Do you remember what you were doing that day?

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Personally, not much, cos I was 3 months old at the time ;). (ETA: sleeping while my parents watched it on tv.)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I was in my first year of high school and everyone was getting excited about Bob Hawke saying the word 'bum' (as in "Anyone who sacks a bloke because he doesn't turn up for work today is a bum").

[jasonfischer.livejournal.com]

Truly, these men are Da Bomb.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

In less than a week you'll be in slapping distance, Fischer. (And if I missile find someone else to poke you.)

[jasonfischer.livejournal.com]

Please calm down and have a Milo,
and please step away
from the missile silo :-)

Your puns have been on FIRE lately. Have you been taking the Fischer Pun Correspondence course?

Confluuuuuuuuux!!! wooooot.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

LJ comment threads make punsters of us all. :)

*does the happy Conflux dance*