My friend took this photo. Why - WHY - is anyone sitting around outside in this horrendous air? People have lost all connection to reality and common sense responses to danger.

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  • Quaxamilliom [comrade/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Honestly, as someone who was born in Tehran (and has gone back multiple times), traveled all over India, live in SF through multiple summers of wildfires (including the amazing 'orange day') and is currently in NYC for this, it isn't that bad compared to the rest. Billions of ppl live in cities with air quality as bad as, if not worse than what it is like here in NYC right now and they still go on with their daily lives. It's not good that we have to live like that, but seems a bit alarmist to see all the bougie people here act like it's the end of the world and they'll die if their outside for more than a few minutes.

    • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      1 year ago

      you may have noticed NYC people have a thing where whatever phenomenon happens to them is automatically completely unique and inscrutably world shattering.

      big snow in Maine? who cares. big snow in Manhattan? literally the end of the world, snowmageddon!!

      hurricane in Mississippi? yawn. hurricane in New York? 6 movies, 35 very special TV show episodes, God has abandoned civilization.

      wildfire smoke in western new Mexico? what's a New Mexico? wildfire smoke among the NY skyline? all the legions of hell are here.

      it's the convenience store/ bodega thing all over again.

    • GaveUp [she/her]
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Fire smoke is much different (worse) than city smog though

      • Quaxamilliom [comrade/them]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I dunno, this smells like a bonfire, Tehran literally smells like strong gasoline all summer long.

        • GaveUp [she/her]
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I mean, smell isn't really a scientific indicator of how healthy the air is. I guess the air smelling worse can affect you mentally more in that moment but I assume everybody is talking about the actual amount of pollutants in the air

          NYC:

          https://www.iqair.com/usa/new-york/new-york-city

          https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/new-york/10021/air-quality-index/349727

          Tehran:

          https://www.iqair.com/iran/tehran

          https://www.accuweather.com/en/ir/tehran/210841/air-quality-index/210841

        • Parent [none/use name]
          ·
          1 year ago

          Didn't Tehran make it so that odd and even numbered license plates drive on different days to reduce smog? I think they have the same geographic set up as LA surrounded by mountains that keep the smog in.

    • flan [they/them]
      ·
      1 year ago

      I was gonna say something similar (although im not from Tehran). I was seeing aqi is like 340? Not that that isnt terrible but that is like a normal day in some cities in India.