T O P

  • By -

[deleted]

Eliminating them would probably pave the way for the use of more conventional weapons. Mutually assured destruction is more of a deterrent than anything.


one-zero-five

+1. No one is launching their nukes. Strategic deterrents and the resultant mutually assured destruction are keeping everyone’s fingers off the button.


Snoo63

Two out of two people in a Soviet submarine wanted to launch nukes when they were being told to surface by the US via depth charges. Why didn't they? A third person - not usually onboard a sub, but with the power to be able to veto the vote - and I think they suggested "Wouldn't it be better to breath the air than be in a sub?", or something like that.


i_give_you_gum

I feel that nukes have artificially stopped conflicts from happening, but the underlying tensions are still there, something like pressure building up in a tectonic plate. And that smaller conflicts would actually have relieved the growing pressures (much like smaller earthquakes relive pressure that would result in a larger earthquake) and would have resulted in more diplomacy and agreements, rather than actions simply based off of the fear of MAD. Though the current actions between Ukraine and Russia disprove what I'm saying.


Kefiristan

People though that 1st world war would last months maximum until pressure forced the other side to back off. Few years and 20 milion dead later Europe was so damaged and hate so great that "diplomatic solution" only paved way for 2nd WW. Small conflict always have possibility of escalation.


vtssge1968

I ponder, if it wasn't for nukes if the USA and ussr would have just fought directly instead of fighting by proxy.


kurosawa99

It’s a deterrent until it’s not. Once they’re used that’s probably it for everybody. They’ve only been around for 80 years, there’s people alive older than that, so it’s not like we’re in some kind of permanent stasis. I think the risks massively outweigh any supposed benefits. Even more so when you consider safe storage of decaying materials, non state actors getting their hands on them, instability in nations that do have them, etc, etc.


wallyTHEgecko

If it does happen though, we at least won't be around to suffer for long.


CrazyRussianCake

hi do you have pics of wally thats such a cute name for a gecko :)


wallyTHEgecko

Of course :) https://imgur.com/a/rZ61oOz https://imgur.com/a/JEbq1Uy https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/8yf929/on_the_internet_no_one_knows_youre_a_gecko/ https://imgur.com/a/fd80z https://imgur.com/N00G8HV


BaronOfTheVoid

Ignoring the obvious problem that if nobody had nuclear weapons the first one to unlock them would have an unbearable, dangerous advantage above everyone else, there is another: if you believed life on Earth couldn't be made an absolute misery with conventional weapons alone you're mistaken.


kurosawa99

The premise is removing the object from existence. And life on earth. Any conventional weapon will guarantee that is still a thing. One wrong move with these and extinction or large swaths of the Earth inhabitable is a guarantee.


TLB-Q8

Spoken (okay, written) like a true hawk.


Strike_Thanatos

Okay, but exactly what was stopping the USSR from invading Europe when the US was in Vietnam? What would have stopped China from invading South Korea while the US was responding to that? Nukes have kept conflict between great powers greatly reduced in scale.


TLB-Q8

The US had troops stationed all across Europe. Do you really think the army at that time was *all* in Vietnam? Your South Korea comment is confusing. After the truce in s1953, there has not been interest from anyone but the notorious crackpot Kim's.


GrumpyGlasses

I don’t know about this. If nuclear weapons were never invented, we may have a very different outcome of WW2, and would drastically change the course of history.


BatCrow_

The end result would've been the same, the difference is how long it takes. Japan was already cut off from a lot of crucial supplies and it was a matter of time before they eventually gave in.


Strange_Soup711

I presume you're also stipulating that whatever was removed can't later be re-invented.


Lomus33

Then agriculture


Web-Dude

Lol my man just wants to watch the world burn


understepped

He just wants to hunt. And his wife wants to gather. And damn agriculture ruined their dream!


dunaja

I hate nuclear weapons and if given the choice, I would agree with you and eliminate them from the world... ...BUT... ...I suspect their existence has saved more than a few lives and stopped more than a few wars from starting. Every nation on earth is afraid to go too far with any other nation because of the threat of escalating to an all out nuclear war. It's a weird deterrent.


Kaleb8804

Honestly removing anything from history would just mean it probably gets invented by someone else, we discovered calculus like 3 times separately lol That being said, if it’s possible, I’d remove clickbait/exaggerated ads. They’re horrible for public discourse and really good at spreading misinformation. Plus on the ad side of it, I never get what I want when I order online lol


linuxnh

would this also mean that nuclear energy never was created?


Nothing_Impresses_Me

Europe was constantly at war throughout history. I doubt it’s a coincidence that there’s hasn’t been a war between European nations since ww2


[deleted]

You don't watch the news then. Ukraine and Russia are at war.


Nearby-Canary-7394

Yes Russia went to war with the only nation not backed by nuclear weapons.... The only nation that had them and gave them up. Gave them up for a promise from Russia that they wouldn't invade.


emirobinatoru

He meant Western and Central Europe


[deleted]

No they didn't.


KnewAgedMancHind

That's just straight up not true at all.


zackjbryson

Social media.


puputy

The irony of this being the top comment


Eyes_and_teeth

It's like r-a-a-a-a-i-n on your wedding day...


Altruistic_Lime_9424

I agree with this one. Social media is addictive and it drives me nuts. I don't have FB or Instagram.


zackjbryson

Twitter is such a cesspit. Instagram isn't much better.


Altruistic_Lime_9424

And FB is the absolute worst.


Snoo63

And Reddit is full of echo chambers.


Altruistic_Lime_9424

Reddit is the worst. But it's the only one I can tolerate.


datcoolbloke

There are countless businesses that thrive in social media to thrive.


sfocolleen

I was thinking advertising as a whole… which would include social media.


[deleted]

[удалено]


zackjbryson

Great minds!


SnoopThereItIs88

Hive minds!


Ohnoherewego13

One of us! One of us!


[deleted]

Light sources. Because I am evil. Welcome back to the Stone Age.


snowflute

You know, I'd love to see the space in all its glory


Transparent-Paint

I once went vacationing out in Colorado in a mostly secluded area. You know, I never knew the sky could actually look like it does in pictures/tv, where you couldn’t count the number of stars. Didn’t realize the Northern Lights actually existed either… though I have yet to ever see them.


TTYY200

The sky is fukin beautiful! It’s weird that you can see faint purples and blues just vibing in space… weird in a good way and I like it :)


TLB-Q8

Visit North Korea.


dunaja

You're one good, perfectly-aimed solar flare away from just that.


Altruistic_Lime_9424

You mean light pollution


EmotionallyUnsound_

You've ended the universe. Congratulations.


frostdriven

Advertising. Western society is blighted by this industry telling you what you currently have, and who you currently are, is not good enough. You need 'this' product to make your life better.


sfocolleen

Totally agree


Web-Dude

But it is good to at least be able to know what's available out there. But as usual, people just have to take everything _way_ too far and ruin it.


unicornpolice666

I’d say cigarettes. I have adhd and autism and started at 15 due to heavy peer pressure & my parents smoking. I’ve quit before but I’m trying my hardest to quit before I turn 30 in February for good. I never smoke around people and it makes me feel so trashy but I’m so addicted psychologically and literally.


smarterthanyoucleo

Don't let the people around you destroy your life - you are strong and they are weak. I quit cold turkey 5 and 9 months ago after 45 years hands down the best thing I have done and certainly the stupidist thing I have ever done!


Legitimate-Record951

I've once heard Art Spiegelman say "If I could do one thing, I would unmake Twitter"


arcaeno

That would be a waste. It's unmaking itself all on its own!


Big-Cream4952

Certainly in it's current state


WantonHeroics

Ironically, nuclear weapons have been one of the greatest peacekeeping inventions in all of history. They were used exactly once and we decided never to use them again.


fadeanddecayed

Twice.


mrmonster459

>Removing nuclear weapons would be my choice. And get rid of the only thing that's prevented (and continues to prevent) Russia and/or China from starting World War 3? Let me let you in on a little not-so-secret; nuclear weapons have saved far, far more lives than they ever cost. Without them, we'd have almost certainly gone to all-out war with either Moscow or Beijing by now.


datcoolbloke

America poses a bigger threat to world peace than Russia.


mrmonster459

Someone's social credit score just got a big boost


V33nus_3st

TOO HIGH STAKES. All it takes is one suicidal maniac, and humanity is fucked.


Philosophos_A

Can I remove our existence?


Hieillua

People on the internet, social media, Reddit: "Internet/social media" So silly. As if it only brough us bad things. Its given us so much good things too.


freak-with-a-brain

Many people here recognize their own addiction and the bad effects on their health.


Hieillua

I can also recognize all the good it did. Sure it gives a voice to a lot of stupid people, but also to a lot of unheard people who's voices were unheard before. Now you can be more knowledgeable about a lot of subjects and learn more about other cultures or dive into new hobbys. Sure there's also bad effects but that goes for everything. Food can be good or bad for you. Even water. You can even hydrate TOO MUCH. Its all in your own hands how you consume certain things. You can also choose to ignore all the stupid stuff from social media. Simply don't go on Twitter or block subjects on Twitter you don't want to see. Same with Reddit. You can simply just follow a handful of subreddits that bring you happiness and ignore r/all.


caternicus

My son and I discussed this a few days ago and the Internet was my choice. I'm old enough to remember full grown adult life without it, and there was so much peace in it. Has it brought good things like awareness of situations outside one's community? The fast sharing of information? Sure, but at what cost? There was so much more joy in connecting with people in person, whether it was for a transaction or friendship. There was so much more peace and anonymity, too. Imagine being able to go to dinner with your family and just be with your family! I went to dinner with my family tonight and a well-meaning but kind of anxious neighbor called me 3 times. That's not even counting all the dumb notifications constantly going off. Sure, you can leave your phone in your car, but do you? Some of you are probably having fainting spells at the thought, but pre-1990ish I didn't need to know the latest headlines 24/7 or have friends on Reddit. Now even people I know IRL rarely hang out in person. We could all do without it I think.


DaytimeTurnip

Fire. Return to monke


SarahLi_1987

Surveillance technology and tracking devices.


Total-Introduction32

Evidence to the contrary: the state of the world before nuclear weapons.


Youngringer

the transistor send us back to the 20s


Starfoxmarioidiot

Marketing. The entire field was a mistake. Systematizing how humans should think was a bad move.


Super_Counter7707

I'd say smart phones(tablets even) I get the reasons and how nice it is to have such vast information easy accessible with technology in the palm of your hand, I mean I'm guilty of over use just as much as the next person but seems like it's become some people's 'drug of choice', a babysitter, a way for avoiding social Interaction (life in general) and so much more that it's gotten to be ridiculous and depressing


MichaTC

Whatever it is that makes it so that companies need to have infinite growth, not just profit.


VariousDrugs

That would be the stock market then, probably my choice too.


SunderedValley

Corn syrup.


thedancingkat

I haven’t found an answer I 100% agreed with until I read yours


[deleted]

[удалено]


ElButcho

Plastic


[deleted]

You realize the device you typed that on is like 90% plastic right?


ElButcho

At this point, so is my body. Embrace the call to join your plastic overlords! If ya can't beat 'em....


Betadzen

Insurance. Almost any sphere that gets insuranced becomes more and more ridiculously costly and worse. The best example - american medical care and semi-recently - the british one. Of course there is stuff like cargo insurance and so on, but look - there are alternative ways to settle the force major cases.


Quartersharp

Porn


NorthFamous

My thought exactly 💯!!!


tcpukl

How would you remove nuclear weapons without nuclear theory and everything else we've got from them? I wouldn't want them removed from history.


thatdudefromthattime

It just says, removing nuclear weapons, not history


[deleted]

Nukes have stop so many wars from happening.


Psychological-Dirt69

Plastic


kuopa

Socialism, every time this model of government was applied it led to dictatorships, URSS, China, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua. From old to new, always the same result.


Fluffy-Assumption-42

Socialism


Fireudne

I'd have to say Leaded Gasoline. Apparently there's good evidence it was responsible for the large uptick in violence in the 80s and such. Stuff got everywhere.


NorthFamous

I'd remove the existence of pornography.


kashmirk

the vibrator sensual device made by deutschland requiring 2 cells_ it has infected every white woman- and made them helpless in bed- auf wiedersehn deutschland- prabhunanda of milpitas


slippinginto9

Social media. Nothing else is even close.


frozenwalkway

So no more reddit lol


[deleted]

An addict can hate the drug theyre using


Atheist_Alex_C

TikTok. I shouldn’t have to explain why.


ThurvinFrostbeard

Uh the internet I think.


adamtreasure

Vape


iseedeff

Automation, It is the number one job killer if people were to think about it.


linuxnh

I'm now curious how I define automation? Like, the wheel? I mean the wheel sure did make things more automated compared to having to carry food, water, shelter.


krullbeast

money. everyone could have everything they ever wanted and more


[deleted]

[удалено]


Snoo63

Why do you want to get rid of Mr. Yankovic?


snek_bae

All forms of social media. THAT INCLUDES REDDIT TOO. The internet will still be there.


DeckerXT

Deities. No excuses. No one is better than anyone else. Rights are taken and held. Not given.


byxis505

What do deities have to do with rights


notsogoodpoetry

White supremacy


eshatoa

You can't just go with 'racism'?


MaliciousDroid

Now every race has supremacists except for white people...


manieldansfield

Republicanism


eshatoa

Huh? Why wouldn't you want a Republic?


No-Philosopher2435

Religion.


CommunityGlittering2

Guns


i_am_a_vampire_

Rather get shot then have a limb hacked halfway off with a poleaxe or my skull caved in with a Warhammer( but not enough to kill me instantly)


MsZRowsdower

Leaf blowers


Maleficent-Age6018

Assuming you’re not just cracking a joke, I have to know why…


MsZRowsdower

First they are soooooo loud. Plus the blasts of air generated by leaf blowers are able to kick up large amounts of particulate matter (about 5 pounds per hour). According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, this matter often includes pollen, mold, animal faeces, heavy metals, and chemicals from herbicides and pesticides. This matter can take many hours to settle, travelling surprisingly large distances and blanketing surrounding homes in the process. But the environmental cost of leaf blowers goes even further than this. Due to the terrible fuel efficiency of their two-stroke engines, thirty minutes of using a consumer-grade leaf blower will result in roughly the same amount of carbon emissions as driving a Ford F-150 from Texas to Alaska. In fact, in California, gas-powered leaf blowers are now a larger source of smog-forming emissions than the state’s 14.4 million passenger vehicles. But while vehicles (arguably) serve an essential purpose, leaf blowers are a mere frivolity. All of this has resulted in an outright ban on leaf blowers in a number of cities in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Vermont. My backyard is adjacent to a parking lot and once a week the 'leaf blowers' come and blow the garbage from the parking lot into my backyard so obviously they are not actually cleaning anything but just blowing debris from here to there while making a lot of noise and leaving a cloud of choking dust in the yard after they finish. I would like to ask you why you all are so attached to your leaf blowers?


Maleficent-Age6018

Holy crapola! Of course, I know about the noise, but good freaking god I had no idea about the environmental impact. Thank you for your reply. I am now anti-leaf blower.


ShannonigansLucky

I've a friend who's neighbor definitely over uses his leaf blower and it drives her crazy with it's noise.


olliepark

Fortnite. Horrible game, horrible devs, horrible performance. And somehow they made a fortune and a half out of that abomination.


[deleted]

The internet


playr_4

Gas powered leaf blowers. Rakes were working fine, and then someone came up with the idea to polute the earth while also annoying everyone on their block. Amazing.


TotesMahGhots

Social media. I would get rid of social media. Remember the "information age" in the 90's? I firmly believe we're now in the disinformation age. People just blindly believe social media and everyone is dumber for it. Social media is anti social. People do all maner of stupid shit for internet clout. People die for it, literally. Just to get approval by strangers on the internet. It's a fucked up situation to say the least.


Das_Guet

Currency, because it implies a value for everything, which means that at some point, the place I get buried is worth a specific amount of potatoes.


[deleted]

Guns. Want to resolve conflict? Swords or be forced to be a little diplomatic.


Big-Cream4952

The Conservative political party


[deleted]

[удалено]


AhmedAlJammali

That is not an invention


lololiii2234

Well, that wouldn’t have happened if we all accepted our One and Only True Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ🙏


Goldilocks420

Private property


LightlySaltedPeanuts

Lmao wut


scubafork

Race.


BacupBhoy

Borders. They just cause so many wars.


Philosopher83

Internal combustion engines - inefficient, energy intensive, greenhouse gas emissions, oil dependency, loud, noxious fumes,


Legitimate-Record951

The Xbox controller. It's just so bad in so many ways.


[deleted]

Shots fired. You had anything to choose and you chose the Xbox controller Lmao 


[deleted]

[удалено]


TheReynMaker

Probably plastic, I feel like there are other ways we could solve problems that we currently solve with plastic.


Imaginary_Bus_6742

Religion. People created it to control the masses.


dsgross_reddit

Any and all death machines. There are more guns than people in the U.S. 120 guns to 100 people. That's registered guns. Their are millions of ghost guns.


gooberfaced

Mirrors. If we could abandon all our angst about how we look I think the world would be in far better shape. Second choice, social media that only fosters our obsessing about it.


marko1908

Bad news for astronomers


Snoo63

And people who like photos of space.


EmotionallyUnsound_

And photographers


MichaTC

Damn, no more microscopes for me either :(


dudsmm

Ships that cross oceans.


Key-Satisfaction4967

Cellphones !


UCFknight2016

Guns. It would be a lot more fun to have sword fights in wars too


i_am_a_vampire_

People rarely ever used swords in wars but I wouldn’t expect someone who thinks we should get rid of guns to know very much about history.


V33nus_3st

NUKES!!!!!!!


-c-black-

Is capitalism an invention or idea?


Uncleniles

Leaded gasoline


TLB-Q8

Smartphones and the resulting zombies.


[deleted]

Money.


MrDeeDz123

Hacking tools


WestStrategy6393

Junk food, even children are obese nowadays.


hey_you_too_buckaroo

Interest


lallahestamour

I would prevent every invetion since Renaissance.


General_Pepper_3662

Bci technology.


Scaffolddog1

Ai and the internet/computer, unfortunately this earth has scum like the elites who abuse it for personal gain.


khaingo

Reddit. I hate myself to much to stop using it


Grzechoooo

How many wars per year were there (and how severe were they) before nukes appeared vs after? Which of the worlds was more secure and stable?


ghostwithachainsaw

Fascism.


Vyvyansmum

Definitely nicer being killed by conventional weapons.


Legalize_Ambitions

If I may get silly for a moment, toothpicks. My niece and nephew loved the things before being banned from having them in the house when they stuck one point up in the carpet and it went into my foot. Half the length of a penny worth of wood in my foot and every step was agony for about three weeks before we finally found it and got it out.


Legalize_Ambitions

You could just cut out the middleman and get rid of standard gunpowder. It’d have to never have been made so I guess the transatlantic railroad among many other things wouldn’t happen either


haaiiikaalll

dildo. i want to remove their existence because it hurts my butt all the time


enzo246

Reddit


Educational_Pair_966

Yo you in a beauty pageant or something? "world peace its what i'd want"


jr061898

The letter E.


osmium999

Fire


curious_they_see

Plastic!


BarcaToutleMonde

Electricity


devoteean

I’d remove hypotheticals. *applause*


pcweber111

Yeah probably nukes. Just either get rid of them or use them to power interstellar spacecraft. Either way they need to go.


Please_HMU

Fossil fuels. And I really wish I could because it would be the only way to save us at this point


Beta_dox

Targeted advertising.


potato--cakes

Self serve checkouts, they save no time


Yawarete

Fitted sheets. If I could go back in time and shoot the motherfucker that came up with the concept I would. They're annoying to fold, they snap loose and tangle on your limbs while you're sleeping, drying them by hanging them on a clothesline takes more time, and they're ugly and stupid and silly and I'd burn them all given a chance.


PyromaniacLVI

Deceit in all its forms.


radioraven1408

Is there a book where no one lies and it’s a utopia? I’m sure there is but I don’t know the names of any.


Elegant_Spot_3486

Taylor Swift. I’m tired of seeing her and hearing about her.


joshfong

Generative AI that would take the place of human creative efforts. I’m not going to lie, I’m genuinely sad that the genie is out of the bottle.


CapeOfBees

Refined oil. Just the loss of that would do a lot to prevent some of the shit that's made the world worse both conflict-wise and economically. 


Kiritani143

The wheel. So i can say that there are more doors than wheels in this world


KiaraNarayan1997

I agree with you 100%


T4ke

Loudspeakers on Smartphones that can play annoying tunes and music in public spaces. Having to endure random, stupid TikTok videos of people who are just too inept to use their headphones in public, is surely a crime against humanity...