American Society During The Cold War example essay topic

6. Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine that life is meaningless and that there is no deep order or purpose to the universe. What are the nihilistic elements of the film? Are there any contrary elements of the film that undermine a general nihilistic theme? What, if any, are the political implications of the film's treatment of nihilism?

The film "The Atomic Caf'e" brilliantly portrays the habitual life in U.S. society during the Cold War. The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two main superpowers at the time. During the war both parties developed nuclear weapons and therefore assured each other mutual destruction. This constant threat led the American society to become extremely paranoid and chaotic at times. Nihilism is the "general rejection of customary beliefs in morality, religion etc". It is also "the philosophical doctrine that life is meaningless and there is no deep order or purpose to the universe".

The film contains many nihilistic elements that allow the viewer to imagine the sociological problems and the political complications at the time while still depicting some noon-nihilistic issues present in society to and the negative effects of this philosophy on the political spectrum". The Atomic Caf'e" is a type of documentary that depicts the social situation of the United States during the Cold War. It shows the general attitude of the average American citizen toward the war and the effect of the political conflict on ordinary life. It is definitely an anti-war war movie since it shows the negative side of the consequence of nuclear warfare on the general public and therefore convinces the viewer that nuclear war is ridiculous.

The film shows various aspects of the negative results the Cold War had on society. "The Atomic Caf'e" manages to illustrate the horrors of the Cold War and how afraid the American people were due to the threat of nuclear destruction leading to the nihilistic belief that life is meaningless and a general lack of moral values amongst the population. People knew and feared that there could be a nuclear explosion at any time causing them to constantly think about the dreadfulness of this event. In the film, a man and a woman were talking about the terrible injuries of nuclear explosions. They commented that it was "an awful gas that deforms you, it doesn't just kill you straight out, that's what's scary about it". Another example of the atrociousness of nuclear tests is when the direction of the airflow was not as the scientist predicted it would be; therefore the nuclear debris was drifting toward St. George.

The town had to be under emergency regulations for a long period of nerve-wrecking time; the children had to have their outdoor recess cancelled and there was a profound anxiousness all through the town. This shows the immense change that the nuclear threats brought about on everyday life. After the American soldiers in the film had finished an atomic test, they got issued film badges that informed them if they were going to die depending on the amount of radiation they received. Soldiers' lives were constantly threatened by the worse death imaginable causing them and their families to worry relentlessly.

The scary part was not only dying, but the way the commanders treated their death with such casualty that makes the viewer reject the idea of war during the film. That particular scene was an example of nihilism because it showed how invaluable a human life during the Cold War. The American people lived under constant fear during the Cold War, causing them to loose focus on the values and philosophies they had previously believed in since all of their time was wasted fretting over the possibility of their lives being shattered by nuclear destruction. There was no longer time or effort for rest, relaxation, religion, soul-searching and other activities that elevate one's spiritual level. Instead, people watched the news apprehensively; parents sat around worrying about their children while they were at school and those same kids were being taught to duck and cover and to be afraid.

The search for tranquility and peace was not a common goal since people did not really have the time to think about these things with the threat of nuclear destruction lingering around in the air they breathed. The film showed how all of these factors decreased the level of morality in humanity during the Cold War and therefore depicted the nihilistic elements of the war. Politicians seriously considered using Nuclear weapons of mass destruction to annihilate the entire world, and society did not object, even as preposterous of an idea it seems to be. Because of this reason, life lost its value during this period of time. The destruction of the world as solely a political conflict, and had nothing to do with the moral dilemma of wiping out all of humanity. Society was chaotic, homes were cracked with fear and people were just waiting to hear the atomic explosion.

A society without morals, and that does not value the meaning of life may be considered nihilistic. Even though the Cold War did not involve any actual fighting in America, it brought about a lot of instability and anxiousness, issues that were clearly exemplified in the movie. "The Atomic Caf'e" illustrated the excessive paranoia that was experienced by American society during the Cold War leading to the creation of a nihilistic society because people and the politicians who represented them lost their moral grounds and believed existence had no purpose. In the film, parents were very worried about their children while they were at school because they would be apart if a nuclear explosion were to occur and would not know if their child survived or not. Every school had nuclear bomb drills where children had to quickly hide under their desks to protect themselves in case of an explosion.

In the film the kids were shown a video or "Burt the Turtle" telling them what to do if a nuclear explosion were to occur. The friendly turtle told them by singing a catchy tune to "Duck and Cover" since an explosion could occur at anytime in any place. The short cartoon did not make a nuclear attack seem scary, it just showed it as something that could happen and any given time and showed the best way to protect themselves. This cartoon in a way mocks the seriousness of a nuclear injury making the viewer question the integrity of the society at the time. The constant insecurity felt by the people quickly led to brutal paranoia that later became part of everyday life. The fact that a whole population could be blown up and exterminated at any particular moment because of a decision made by a single politician became a common preoccupation.

The leaders of countries stopped caring about the value of life and the meaning of safety and tranquility because of their own personal insecurities and profound paranoia that was growing exponentially on both sides. If politicians actually considered destroying the entire world, they obviously thought that an individual life had no purpose or significant relevance to the universe. The film can be considered existentialist since it shows the rejection of the importance of life since people believed that ultimately nuclear destruction was inevitable. This is the reason why the film is nihilistic due to its belief that there was a deterioration of the common moral beliefs and the value of life. Before nuclear weapons were developed, life was very different. For one thing, world destruction had never been a possibility, much less a strategy of warfare.

Second, the average person didn't live in fear because humanity as a whole had never been threatened before, only small troops or maybe independent countries had, but never before had all of the continents been threatened at the same time. The Cold War managed to broaden the scope of warfare, intimidating every last person on Earth. The ongoing paranoia of all American citizens fearing nuclear destruction as portrayed in "The Atomic Caf'e" changed the values and morals of the society they lived in depicting a nihilistic society. During the Cold War atomic warfare was not treated with the appropriate seriousness it deserved causing there to be a loss of morality and a change in the value system. In the film, the chaplain was talking to his soldiers and said that the actual explosion was "a beautiful sight to behold!" What kind of moral grounds does a religious man have to say that a deadly chemical reaction should be considered a beautiful image? Obviously, there has been an obliteration of the ethical scheme that was previously accepted by society if a Chaplain idealizes atomic explosions.

Another example of the misinterpretation of the gravity of nuclear bombs is when soldiers are told that radiation is not really that important because it cannot be seen or smelled. This scene showed the ignorance of the military commanders because radiation was indeed a very important factor and as professionals should not be throwing soldiers into a land contaminated with nuclear pollution. These people did not care much about the lives and well being of their soldiers, depicting the problem of the loss of the value of life. Additionally, there was one scene in the movie where a family is asked to go underground because there was a nuclear threat. The family was hiding in the nuclear fallout shelter in the basemen t of their house and the father says, "We " ve been lucky! Nothing to do now but clean up and wait for the authorities to tell us what to do and relax".

Yes, the family didn't die from an explosion, but are they lucky to have to hide and worry about whether their city will have been destroyed and be careful not to absorb any radiation? The problem was that individual life was not cherished anymore. It was about the population as a whole that mattered, which was a radical change in beliefs and values from previous times making it more of a nihilistic society that it had ever been before. Even the average citizen gave up their emotional freedom to a cause that was so foreign such as a rivalry with the Soviet Union so easily; no questions asked.

This showed the shift in the personal goals and values that seemed to be important to people during the Cold War. During the Cold War, the presidents of the super-powered nations had more power in their hands than any other human being had ever experienced. World destruction was at the fingertip of a single man, since he could push a button and annihilate all humanity. In the past it was thought that God created the world in seven days, but now, a man could destroy it all in a matter of seconds. The idea of an all-powerful, invisible, God had vanished and the fact that a human had more power than anything else was a thriving philosophy. One person with one bad error in judgment could blow up the entire planet, and yet society did not violently oppose.

People lived under constant fear and paranoia for over twenty years and the politicians got away with it. This situation seems almost surreal. The rejection of the fact that God was all-powerful and the new vision that humans could now play that role changed the entire way in which society worked. With the balance of power changed from God to humans and the profound paranoia present in every day life, society had become nihilistic and this is very clearly depicted in the film "The Atomic Caf'e". The lifestyle depicted in "The Atomic Caf'e" seems unimaginable to viewers who didn't live through the Cold War. It is unbelievable that the utter destruction of the entire world was a serious threat.

In some cases it seemed almost inevitable, as if it were bound to happen some day. This inconceivable chaotic situation seems almost like a nightmare that doesn't follow the basic standards for living. So, if nihilism is "the rejection of customary beliefs in morality, religion etc" then "The Atomic Caf'e" is a brilliant representation of it. Although the movie very clearly showed the viewer the nihilistic elements of society, it also managed to show some contrary features of American society during the Cold War that undermine the general nihilistic theme. Even though most moral grounds and ethical ideals were shattered to pieces, and the value of a single human life became insignificant and only the whole mattered, there were still some human values that persisted.

Parents still had love for their children and were concerned about their safety. This was evident in the film when the mother was listening to the radio and worried as she heard that there was an atomic threat, but c lamed down as soon as she heard that the recesses at schools were cancelled, which assured her that her children were safe. This proved that although adults were caught up worrying about nuclear destruction and its implications, they still had family values and cherished the lives of their loved ones. Togetherness was also a major theme throughout the movie. When the family was underground in their fallout shelter, the father is very protective and caring to his family. They all seemed to rely on each other for security and love.

This shows the viewer that war does not necessarily have to dehumanize people. Although terrible things do happen during a war, and it is difficult to see through the pain of deaths and destruction, people still manage to remain human, feelings, emotions and all. The film also shows how some people still do care about each other, giving the film an optimistic side, making it a lot more bearable to watch. Although the film clearly illustrates the nihilistic components of the film, it also manages to show the viewer some personal qualities that undermine this general theme.

The film criticized the nihilism present in American society during the Cold War because it deteriorated the moral standards and the ethical belief system of humanity. Since common principles were no longer valid or active, the political atmosphere of the world changed. There was a giant disregard for other countries along with their cultures and laws. The world was basically divided in two through the imaginary "iron curtain" stereotyping every nation as either capitalist or communist.

Every nation on the eastern hemisphere must have been in the Warsaw pact and every country on the western hemisphere was protected by NATO. This meant that every nation was labeled, completely ignoring their actual internal policies and national ideals. The United States believed that communism was a monolithic force rooting from the USSR, and therefore the Russians must have supported every country that turned communist. In reality, however, this was not so, since Tito from Greece was communist but was not backed by the Soviet Union. This over-generalization of world politics made the United States' foreign policy very closed minded and irrational at times. Since they stopped respecting any other country that had different beliefs than the Anglo-American way of life, they were aggressive and insolent toward them.

The United States became deeply paranoid about communism taking over the world through the "domino effect". They were obsessed with the idea that only their own system was good and that any other one was evil. This exhibited a profound selfishness on the American side because they weren't taking into consideration the value of the diversity of cultures that makes the world a more interesting, balanced and realistic place. The Americans did not really care about the well being of other nations during the cold war if they believed in different philosophies making U.S. policy unethical and immoral. This way of thinking is extremely unreasonable and unfounded, and has persisted in the nature of U.S. foreign policy.

"The Atomic Caf'e" treated nihilism in a pessimistic way and it therefore had a negative influence of world politics. Because of the degeneration of the morality of humanity, both the Soviet Union and the United States became a lot more violent about their foreign policies. There was a massive arms race between the two superpowers. The United States came up with the document NSC-68, which was a plan to increase military spending by 350%. Based on the assumption that the Soviet Union was engaged in a fanatical effort to seize control of governments wherever possible, the document committed America to assist allied nations anywhere in the world which seemed threatened by Soviet aggression.

The implementation of this economic policy militarized American Society in such a way that they felt prepared for confrontation. The lack in values amongst politicians and civilians allowed society to become more violent without any major problems, in fact with a great deal of support. The film projects that nihilism is the rejection of the importance of existence and the belief that life is meaningless. Since both the United States and the USSR disregarded the meaning of a single human life, they began increasing the intensity of attacks. They wanted to attack each other with nuclear weapons leading to mass destruction killing an excessive amount of people. War wasn't about one to one battles between soldiers; the nihilistic elements in politics changed it to massive atomic warheads being dropped on vast lands annihilating everything in sight.

Even politicians discussed attacks in a much larger scenario and therefore stopped caring about the life of an individual; they now only cared about the conflict between ideals and attacking the other side of the world. Massive destruction was a sacrifice they were willing to make to have capitalism beat communism and to contain the spread of the socialist ideal throughout the world. The new way of looking at war had become very nihilistic, changing the nature of world politics from regional to worldwide confrontation. Nihilism implies less reluctance to use nuclear weapons, thus the probability that they will be used leading to global destruction rises. Although neither side decided to finally attack each other, they actually seriously considered doing so, which nowadays seems like an unreasonable and terrifying way to think about international relations. A nihilistic society is usually highly chaotic and life during the Cold War could easily be considered bizarre and preposterous since the social and political problems were so extreme.

In conclusion the film "The Atomic Caf'e" managed to show the viewer the nihilistic elements that had infiltrated society during the Cold War. It showed both the negative effects the new system had on American culture as well as some factors that contradicted the general nihilistic theme that at time showed the goodness of people. The nihilism depicted in the film, had a major effect on world politics, changing the nature of the world to a more negative one during the period of the Cold War.