The film, Atomic Cafe, was interesting to watch and I feel like the film could have a great number of different effects, based on who watches it. As a documentary, I feel like the film does a great job of expressing the thoughts and mood of the time. However, it is this same aspect of the film that will change how different generations view it. The old saying "Knowledge is Power" really fits with the whole situation as we know so much more now as compared to back during that time,that it makes all the stuff they thought back then seem ridiculous and funny. But to those in the time, it was all they had to go by so there really wasn't much choice but for them to believe and hope for the best.
Over the course of the film, we see various events involving atomic weaponry and the results that came from them. Many of these were news reports that people during the time saw and reacted to. Imagining an enemy in possession of the same weapon that could cause the destruction these people saw could easily cause people to be afraid and worried for their lives. People needed to look to others for protection which is why they were so susceptible to the ridiculous ideas put forth by the government and salespeople. If you have nothing else, you gotta take what's there.
During discussion, someone mentioned that the ideas about nuclear war and the measures to protect one's self became the culture of the time. This certainly fits with the film in many ways and is supported by all kinds of aspects that are seen. It seemed like everything of the time referenced to the atomic bomb in some way. Names of restaurants and products using atomic, music talking about the bomb, talk shows asking about nuclear warfare, everywhere you went you would see or hear something about the atomic bomb and war. Constantly seeing it like this also fueled people to continue feeling the same way over time. Like the film showed similar clips over and over again, people of the time were bombarded with the same ideas constantly.
The film also demonstrated how the threat of atomic war created a desire for products. Bomb shelters, hazard suits, all kinds of things people wouldn't need, and in many cases wouldn't even work, became more appealing to consumers. This caused a rush to buy these things so the atomic bomb helped to fuel what popular products were bought. The atomic bomb was also used to help sell normal products, like in the reading. Women were compared to atomic bombs so products were bought to make yourself into a real "bombshell". Bikini's were sold cause you'd be a bigger hit than what hit Bikini Atol.
Even the development of entire cities were affected by nuclear threat. Many cities are built with highways running through them, which though inconvenient at times, would have provided a quick escape during an attack. As shown through the reading, giant cities built around circular road patterns were designed for the same reason. The entirety of the nation was affected by the paranoia of the atom bomb, from cities, to homes, to even people themselves.
Looking back today, all of it seems ridiculous and unreasonable. But what we see as irrational today, was all people had to believe back then. The more we understand of something, the less afraid of it we are. Today, the knowledge of nuclear weapons is fairly wide-spread so even though they exist, we are less inclined to let the fear of them affect our lives.
You made a good point about how the atomic bomb propaganda was the only thing that people were shown. It reminded me of terrorism today and how, at any time during the day, you can turn on the news and hear at least one thing about terrorists within a few minutes. September 11th is today's equivalent of the atomic bomb scare. Even thought we have come to distrust the new, we still watch it and the ideas are embedded in our heads. I heard a story once about a woman who started a rumor about a priest. Once it was found that they were only rumors, she was sentenced to climb the tallest tower and drop all the feathers from a pillow. Then she was told to pick them up. This is an impossible task. A rumor is like a feather in that once it is released you can never take them all back, some feather, some where got away. The stories we are told about terrorists, no matter how ridiculous, are embedded in our heads like the stories told to people during the atomic bomb era. Its human nature to be able to be mislead.
ReplyDeleteyour right, people didn't have a clue about what was going on, and really could only put their faith into the government. With this lack of knowledge the government used people's fear of attack to sell ineffective products to the American people.
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk about the Cold War and the American public being very much in the dark, I feel the same went for our government. Everything involving the atomic bomb and nuclear war was so top secret you wonder if anyone actually knew the truth. The government did what it thought was best to calm the people and prepare them for what could have been one of the greatest attacks on the U.S. of all time. We sit and watch a film like Atomic Cafe' today and we laugh at the propaganda and how ridiculous everything was, but it's only because we can't really imagine ourselves being that out of it. We as a society now are so used to being involved with and knowing everything thanks to the internet and all the other new technology we have at our fingertips. When it comes down to it though we still would probably react the same way, looking for anyone to give us some piece of mind.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your "knowledge is power" stance and the way it affects how we view the movie today. We are already seeing similar things in our generation. Right after 9/11 we were in a state of so much fear and anger that not many people protested the idea of going to war. For us, people of Middle Eastern decent are the "bad guys" just as the Russians and Japanese were back in the 40's and 50's. Now, years later, we begin to see things more clearly about what really drove the invasion into Afghanistan and Iraq. A good example of this is Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11. This film is very similar to Atomic Cafe in terms of exposing how naive and mold-able we can be as a nation and society. Already we have started looking back on our mistakes and realize how foolish we were to jump the gun and start a war. We laugh now at out parent's and grandparent's generations for the things they believed but I don't think it is too ridiculous to imagine that someday our children and grandchildren will look back and laugh at how foolish we have been on some issues.
ReplyDeleteYou made some really good connections here, especially about how the threat of nuclear war (real and imagined) permeated the culture to such an extent that it became the culture. You also put yourself into the perspective of people who lived at that time, to try and undertand how they could have been quite so paranoid.
ReplyDeleteBe a bit more precise in your transition from your own thought to the reading. You don't have to quote directly, but do let the reader know that you're paraphrasing from a written source.