Last night as I was watching TV my normally restless clicky-thumb stopped on a show called The Fifties, The Fear And The Dream. The imagery that caught my eye was Levittown, a model new community in New York for GIs returning from the war to have their families. Thank you for the f88king ugly suburbs, William Levitt. The show, however, a simple straightforward Canadian-made history, cast these middle-low income burbs in a contextual light that made more sense to me than usual, the extreme social value placed on an affordable patch of lawn a reward for enduring wartime: enough with catastrophic world events, time to look after me and mine. It was an understandable reaction, too bad it's now an internalised, systemic ideology. There's a good website on Levittown here (where I stole the picture above).
My friend J. reminded me today that the USA is based on single heros doing big things, while Canada is based on groups of individuals doing small things. My reiteration here is oversimplified, but this idea somehow oddly helped me in my current anxiety about the USA. The grand symbolic gesture of the nuclear bomb...too much power...is a singular icon. Nuclear physics also employed powerful, charismatic, and icnonic personalities. In some lights Oppenheimer is the most romantic, tragic anti-hero I can imagine: responsible for the A-bomb and the deaths of cities of people, remorseful and politicised, arguing passionately against Teller's (who, I just found out, is the inspiration for the Dr. Strangelove character...makes perfect sense, duh) plans for the H-bomb and the potential deaths of countries, continents, even planets. There is footage of Oppenheimer in the documentary, a man in pain in an impossible position, speaking, imploring his country to see people in other lands (ie: potential victims of hydrogen bombs) as "men like ourselves". I've been looking for the quote and can't find it. But I did find this (below), I think from the same interview with Edward R. Murrow in 1954.
Oppenheimer on secrecy:
"The trouble with secrecy is that it denies to the government itself the wisdom and the resources of the whole community, of the whole country, and the only way you can do this is to let almost anyone say what he thinks - to try to give the best synopses, the best popularizations, the best mediations of technical things that you can, and to let men deny what they think is false - argue what they think is false, you have to have a free and uncorrupted communication.
"And this is - this is so the heart of living in a complicated technological world - it is so the heart of freedom that that is why we are all the time saying, `Does this really have to be secret?' `Couldn't you say more about that?' `Are we really acting in a wise way?' Not because we enjoy chattering - not because we are not aware of the dangers of the world we live in, but because these dangers cannot be met in any other way.
"The fact is, our government cannot do without us - all of us."
Nice quote and image!
The 50s suburbs are supposed to be bland and boring of course, but in buzy and stressful times the flat blank lawn, the uncomplicated landscaping and open sky look very very enticing in a zen kind of way.
---
The character of Dr. Strangelove is likely based on both Edward Teller and John von Neumann. Von Neumann is well known for developing the architecture ot the computers we use. But he also developed Game Theory - which he applied to geopolitical strategy in general and the Cold War in particular.
As a result of his Game Theory modelling he was convinced that the best strategy for the US was to attack the USSR without warning - and the best possible outcome for the Western World would be ensured. Dr. Strangelove councils a similar doctrine in the movie.
Scary? The more I learn about the history of the Cold War, and of nuclear weapons, the more Dr. Strangelove looks like a documentary. Have any of us born into that era managed stopped worrying and learned to love the Bomb?
I remember the first time I heard about "the bomb". I was in grade school and during class, Robbie Stringer, the kid whose dad owned a candy shop close to the school, told me about it. I just couldn't believe that it was true. This was one of a couple existential meltdowns I experienced as a kid.
In 1965 in Dallas, TX. at Tom C. Gooch elementary school we had not only fire drills but duck and cover drills. Squatting in a yoga-like compressed ball with our legs underneath us and our heads pressed to our knees, with hands over head, we were protecting ourselves from nuclear disaster. And lookee, I'm here, it worked. Say what you will about public schools but they did some teaching in my day...
I remember seeing a film with the phrase "A nuclear fire is just like any other fire." There was a graphic of a woman in a crinolin batting at her burning drapes with a broom. They went on to say that people suffering from radiation sickness should get lots of rest and eat fresh fruit.
At Richmond Elementary we did drills the same as what Jim did. Although that posture would have been no more effective than the peacock asana in protecting us from nuclear warfare.
In Canada, in the 60s, many homes had a copy of these three government booklets:
5-BX Plan
10-BX Plan
11 Steps to Survival
The first two were fitness books for men (5 basic exersizes) and women (10 basic exersizes). The third was about surviving a nuclear attack.
I've discovered it on the internet at a number of locations, including http://www.webpal.org/webpal/d_resources/survival/books/11steps/
The illustrations fill me with a disturbed kind of nostalgia.
More disturbing, though, is discovering the booklet posted where nostalgia doesn't figure at all.
http://www.yespakistan.com/nuke/11steps.asp
ow. they are still using the same illustrations and recommending the same recreational supplies for your 14 day stint in the basement underneath the dresser, inflatable pool, and othe misc. sheilding items easily found around the house:
Books
Paper
Pencils
Playing cards
Chess, checkers, other games
Crosswords, other puzzles
Knitting, sewing, etc.
Hobby materials
Plasticine
I never go anywhere without my plasticine. I hope they have a good supply of it in Pakistan.
|
Last night as I was watching TV my normally restless clicky-thumb stopped on a show called The Fifties, The Fear And The Dream. The imagery that caught my eye was Levittown, a model new community in New York for GIs returning from the war to have their families. Thank you for the f88king ugly suburbs, William Levitt. The show, however, a simple straightforward Canadian-made history, cast these middle-low income burbs in a contextual light that made more sense to me than usual, the extreme social value placed on an affordable patch of lawn a reward for enduring wartime: enough with catastrophic world events, time to look after me and mine. It was an understandable reaction, too bad it's now an internalised, systemic ideology. There's a good website on Levittown here (where I stole the picture above).
My friend J. reminded me today that the USA is based on single heros doing big things, while Canada is based on groups of individuals doing small things. My reiteration here is oversimplified, but this idea somehow oddly helped me in my current anxiety about the USA. The grand symbolic gesture of the nuclear bomb...too much power...is a singular icon. Nuclear physics also employed powerful, charismatic, and icnonic personalities. In some lights Oppenheimer is the most romantic, tragic anti-hero I can imagine: responsible for the A-bomb and the deaths of cities of people, remorseful and politicised, arguing passionately against Teller's (who, I just found out, is the inspiration for the Dr. Strangelove character...makes perfect sense, duh) plans for the H-bomb and the potential deaths of countries, continents, even planets. There is footage of Oppenheimer in the documentary, a man in pain in an impossible position, speaking, imploring his country to see people in other lands (ie: potential victims of hydrogen bombs) as "men like ourselves". I've been looking for the quote and can't find it. But I did find this (below), I think from the same interview with Edward R. Murrow in 1954.
- sally mckay 5-15-2004 9:29 am
Nice quote and image!
- Jennifer McMackon (guest) 5-15-2004 4:24 pm
The 50s suburbs are supposed to be bland and boring of course, but in buzy and stressful times the flat blank lawn, the uncomplicated landscaping and open sky look very very enticing in a zen kind of way.
---
The character of Dr. Strangelove is likely based on both Edward Teller and John von Neumann. Von Neumann is well known for developing the architecture ot the computers we use. But he also developed Game Theory - which he applied to geopolitical strategy in general and the Cold War in particular.
As a result of his Game Theory modelling he was convinced that the best strategy for the US was to attack the USSR without warning - and the best possible outcome for the Western World would be ensured. Dr. Strangelove councils a similar doctrine in the movie.
Scary? The more I learn about the history of the Cold War, and of nuclear weapons, the more Dr. Strangelove looks like a documentary. Have any of us born into that era managed stopped worrying and learned to love the Bomb?
- Gordon Hicks 5-24-2004 8:11 am
I remember the first time I heard about "the bomb". I was in grade school and during class, Robbie Stringer, the kid whose dad owned a candy shop close to the school, told me about it. I just couldn't believe that it was true. This was one of a couple existential meltdowns I experienced as a kid.
- nanmac 5-24-2004 11:05 pm
In 1965 in Dallas, TX. at Tom C. Gooch elementary school we had not only fire drills but duck and cover drills. Squatting in a yoga-like compressed ball with our legs underneath us and our heads pressed to our knees, with hands over head, we were protecting ourselves from nuclear disaster. And lookee, I'm here, it worked. Say what you will about public schools but they did some teaching in my day...
- jimlouis 5-25-2004 3:03 am
I remember seeing a film with the phrase "A nuclear fire is just like any other fire." There was a graphic of a woman in a crinolin batting at her burning drapes with a broom. They went on to say that people suffering from radiation sickness should get lots of rest and eat fresh fruit.
- sally mckay 5-25-2004 3:08 am
At Richmond Elementary we did drills the same as what Jim did. Although that posture would have been no more effective than the peacock asana in protecting us from nuclear warfare.
- mark 5-25-2004 5:59 am
In Canada, in the 60s, many homes had a copy of these three government booklets:
5-BX Plan
10-BX Plan
11 Steps to Survival
The first two were fitness books for men (5 basic exersizes) and women (10 basic exersizes). The third was about surviving a nuclear attack.
I've discovered it on the internet at a number of locations, including http://www.webpal.org/webpal/d_resources/survival/books/11steps/
The illustrations fill me with a disturbed kind of nostalgia.
More disturbing, though, is discovering the booklet posted where nostalgia doesn't figure at all.
http://www.yespakistan.com/nuke/11steps.asp
- Gordon Hicks 5-25-2004 7:24 am
ow. they are still using the same illustrations and recommending the same recreational supplies for your 14 day stint in the basement underneath the dresser, inflatable pool, and othe misc. sheilding items easily found around the house:
Books
Paper
Pencils
Playing cards
Chess, checkers, other games
Crosswords, other puzzles
Knitting, sewing, etc.
Hobby materials
Plasticine
I never go anywhere without my plasticine. I hope they have a good supply of it in Pakistan.
- sally mckay 5-25-2004 7:39 am