suppose the nuclear war never comes, which it didn't?
Then something else would have. Our suicide as a species was considered inevitable; the only question was which of our self-destructive behaviors would do us in first.
And for those of you who weren't around back then, yes, it really was that bleak and pessimistic of an era. I figured the odds of making it to my 30th (in 2000) to be about 50/50.