When the atomic bomb was invented, the world looked at it very differently than the manner it’s viewed now. Their relationship with the bomb has also evolved significantly over time. As of now, America practices ‘duck and cover’ yoga sessions with their children to practice protecting them from the potential bombs that the Soviets, or their allies, might drop on the country. But does such action even make sense? Japan was doused in bombs during World War II making it clear that no real building would provide true protection if the United States was hit. The drills are nothing more than the act of bringing a sense of unease towards the idea of communism, which in hindsight is quite funny since no communist has ever bombed civilians. But it is a highly civilized nation that possesses this ‘honor’ and needless to say, it has used it on two separate occasions.
For over five or so years, Jayne Loader and the two other brothers Kevin and Pierce Rafferty spent pouring over hundreds of hours worth archival clips to make The Atomic Cafe, a film following the genesis of nuclear warfare. The movie focuses on raw material and avoids voiceover narration and has a unique style that Jayne Loader likes to refer to as “compilation verite.” The movie focuses on the 60s and 50s with a mix of government films and news clips with the intention of showcasing how an average American during that time would have felt watching such content. The Atomic Cafe provides a rather unique critique of how the United States media portrays nuclear weapons.
As the united states has to deal with the fear of a soviet invasion, there was a military training video with some grim content. It suggests that American soldiers can simply march towards the mushroom cloud unleashed by the atomic bomb and still be able to perform their duties of neutralizing their target, the film goes on to explain how the bomb is able to inflict painful injury but its makings is truly astounding. It pressures the concept that being inside the radiation inflicted by a nuclear bomb is a walk in the park, and that the there is enough power invested to obliterating all their enemies.
An ideology like this can be solely described as blistering as it manipulates soldiers into believing a nuclear bomb isn’t a threat to them, this form of aggressive indoctrination can easily fabricate a sense of false power. Over the years, Khrushchev has described the United States wielding an atomic bomb over them to simply bully them, he claimed not being secured together with their allies during the Cold War was one thing but being exposed to a threat that was able to annihilate them was devastating, thinking of the scene still sent chills down his spine.
I see The Atomic Cafe through two lenses: one as a satire of post-War American propaganda, promoting movies that can be considered an insult to ones intelligence, one of which involves atomic energy. The other way one may interpret it as is an analysis of how effective and convincing American propaganda was.
There are numerous issues that made headlines and were actively advertised, but I would say the creation and use of atomic bomb is a shameful episode since it is quite an atrocious event. There are even instances where the creation of the bomb is linked to the Christian deity, which is an unfortunate conclusion but quite effective in demonizing communism and providing an excuse for these deadly god-given devices to be spread.
Such events seem to be vitally important as it is easy to look back and criticize nonsensical statements. How are we measuring up regarding modern incidents? The requirement is no less today because, in some cases, it has been more sophisticated. Russia has taken a very disturbing step by invading Ukraine. But that does not improve the situation by idolatrous worship of NATO and Zelensky. Unfortunately, Palestine occupied has also reached to a point where organizations like Hamas do commit such acts. But, we need to have a deep comprehension of how the impact of colonialism has lead to such from Hamas as an organization to war crimes committed in Palestine.
There’s nothing more effective than propaganda when it comes to energy consumption which is the one field that feels impervious to the negative effects of propaganda. Watching movies of people feeling the extreme heat of a dying planet, alongside the temperatures of this year’s records from across the globe is starting to suffocate us today. Polar regions and especially Antarctica are seeing a staggering rate of ice loss. The bread baskets of the world are starting to heat up, leading to good part of the food chains to be disrupted, which could lead to mass extinction events in our very lifetimes, however, energy corporations spew propaganda claiming that they give money to a pointless environmental organization or seek to persuade us that it is the individuals, not a set of rules imposed by corporations that will make a difference.
This sort of a propaganda works wonders but only for as long as a few decades, since it is based on egregiously faulty notions, it’s barely fear-based, as once again I say, fear doesn’t drive people for long periods of time but in the heat of the moment it’s phenomenal. In the case of the atomic bomb, one logical conclusion is that the rest of the globe must be petrified of America, given the balance of power shifts that were made during the later stages of that war. When you look at the power shift that happened in the post war period, that’s exactly what happens. This was built upon by the fact that the U.S. allocated significantly outsized amounts of funding relative to all the other countries to bolster its military.
It is logical to be afraid of U.S. imperialism that wields the bomb as a background threat and fear-mongers.
When we look at how the U.S. seeks to fulfill its bomb propaganda, it does so in a manner that lacks logic. There are claims that American citizens must always be petrified about the fears of the Soviets throwing the bomb, but why? The start of the arms race has always, and will always, be initiated by the US. This behavior led the Soviets and many other nations to start stockpiling weapons, including nuclear bombs. They believed that they would be able to guarantee their survival by building their own and testing them. In conjunction with this, I deem North Korea’s nuclear bomb blasts as justified today. The Korean War never officially ended and the ongoing presence of the US in South Korea classifies this as an act of aggression. One can understand why the North Korean regime feels the need to develop nuclear weapons even if they have a different view on it.
From the perspective of Atomic Cafe, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing footage advocates human inequality. It shows humanity hosted to the extreme and taken to the furthest of their limits. The tragic injury of some has resulted in deformation while for other’s life-long suffering is inevitable. Children are born in worlds decimated by radiation, and have no available options but to endure for what was strategized and executed on islands located thousands of miles across the sea.
Despite the Japanese atrocities of the past, where they were fascist oppressors, their ruling war criminal ideology was self inflicted. People start picking defense towers, changing society and rebuilding temples only after they suffer a minute fraction of what humans call Hiroshima. If the world adopts a single atomic weapon, for example one initial use only for war. there would be enormous consequences, roaming the globe with irreversible side effects.
One of the worst nightmares we have to deal with in this neoliberal day and age, is the quest to separate us from our own past. History has not been completed and history is not a thing of the past, but it is rather present in our midst. In other words, secondary institutions, such as universities and schools, work to harken us into a passive state, which makes us forget about this truth. We always lose sight of the bigger picture and view our reality as an amalgamation of systems that ensure maximum convenience. The “great” wars are all located somewhere out there in fantasy land. The Middle East or Africa, the proverbial China of the US, these analogies work because they were part of the global and American domestic political and economic strategy. Geography led to American reassurance that the atomic bomb could be used with ease. It’s that very distance from even the violence we do now that makes us think we are somewhat protected.
Now, sensibility on the other hand has 9/11 as a retaliatory action; for most, that ought to be a shocking development. Because that is actually awareness of the results of one’s deeds. Because we are situated in history, a fact upon which many Americans ostentatiously express their disdain is their reaction to that number of Americans. Ignorance of this inevitable reality is clearly visible in the fury of certain sections of society as regards the genocide of the people of Palestine.
American members who argue in favor of the government’s involvement in the war refuse to accept reality and as a result should, without resistance be satisfied with the American mindset. Around a decade into the future there will be a sense of disbelief towards the fact that the people we target decide to act against us, as if it was uncalled for.
The disintegration of the Soviet Union due to civil revolution as well as external influence means we walk around the streets of the united states without any fear. The one nation which used nuclear arms to deter the United States during the Reach Cold war was Russia through Cuba and unlike today it no longer exists. Due to the economic model China implements, nuclear weapons are less efficient. Although the North Koreans utilize the atomic weapon, they do not wish to employ it for fear of the consequences. They cannot survive without one unless they wield it. In the coal mid-east Iran understands its role in the geopolitics and so uses atomic weapons for a similar reason it wants. In reaction to India, Pakistan will increase the number of nuclear warheads.
What about this, had the Us not dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan the world would not be in its current state, much of the worry ensuing bombs stems from this.
The Atomic Cafe ought to be more than a farcical judgment on earlier peoples’ ignorance, insularity, and gullibility but serve up a lesson to us that we are anyway in some such process. De learning is an inevitable requirement for unlike other newly born babies, one gets brainwashed by all the other institutions from the minute one is born. “The police are good guys.” “Other countries’ aggression, unnerves but not the US.” “It’s human nature to be inept collaborative.” By considering propaganda as self evident, critical thinking is discouraged since people’s’ initiation of it is tiresome. The more societies push for one way of thinking or which famous politician to admire the more the contrasting beliefs will clash with those foundations. For it is only through exercising our fantasies that revolve around a better world, while not accepting the horrific reality that is served to us that we seek to protect this planet.
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