Thread unsafe decrementing/incrementing - why mostly positive?

I bet you will see the exact opposite behavior with the following change (that is, reverse the branches without changing anything else).

Generally speaking, this is due to the way the Java memory model works. You are accessing shared variables in two distinct threads without synchronization. Neither is the variable declared volatile, nor are you running atomar operations.

The absence of coordination and atomar or volatile variables will lead to internal optimizations of the threaded code done by the JVM when executing. Also, non-volatile variables that have not crossed the memory barrier (i.e. Synchronized) will lead to cached values per thread – and thus two conflicting thread-local copies inside their caches.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.