The atomic bomb created an incredibly deep seated atmosphere of guilt, suspicion and fear. So powerful were these emotions that they actually managed to culturally convince this country that we were still in a state of active warfare. The Cold War, like the twenty years between world wars I and II may not have been a war with explosions and fire, but it was a war nonetheless, and it's effect on American culture was palpable.
I've been finding a bifurcation in culture after the dropping of the bomb. The dominant culture became a "Leave it to Beaver" crowd, white, middle class, clean cut, with no problems with drugs, sex, confusion, doubts or broken families. It was the perfect united front; like a never-ending Coke commercial. The other half were the rebels, the questioners, who rather than defend themselves against the fear, coped by exploring and probing it. These were often the people who were blacklisted, labeled as lunatics or traitors to America. Even in cultural products there is a distinction. I'm currently comparing the Nevil Shute's counterculture novel On The Beach to the movie version of it made in 1959. The movie was a dominant cultural product, and the differences are vast.
The implications of this argument for our own time are also interesting to consider. We are in the middle of a recession. We are fighting an expensive war against an abstract concept that we'll never really be able to destroy. And yet, we project our image to the world as clean, vital, prosperous and capable of caring not only for ourselves, but for anyone in the world who needs or wants our help... even some that don't yet know they need it, or just forgot to ask. Are we still at war, then? Have we really not matured beyond this intense fear, self-suspicion and squeaky clean defense?
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