Wow, this was gripping, John—weaving your dad’s and the larger social story into your tour visit. Truly a depraved atomic bomb escalation, with a price that people are still paying, and will continue to pay. I remember Duck and Cover drills, and being terrified of the Cold War right through the ‘80s. It was something that you just had to not think about if you had no power to do anything about it. Sometimes I wonder how much of the current culture of denial—of climate change, of disabling viruses—was trained into us during those decades. It is not insignificant.
Thank you so much, Priscilla. I think you’re onto something with the way it has affected our approach to impending apocalypses. Perhaps the root of the denial is a feeling of a complete lack of agency compounded with a sense that the government is simultaneously both responsible and unable - or unwilling - to help us.
Beautifully done, John. I'm sure a lot of your readers share familiar experiences. I certainly remember "Duck and Cover" and my Daddy served in the Navy as radio operator on a ship in the south Pacific. He didn't talk much about it, but insisted I learn Morse Code as a young girl. Bomb shelters proliferated in my town in GA during Cuban missile crisis. Ironically rare plants have a safe place at Hanford - irony abounds. Thank you.
Wow, this was gripping, John—weaving your dad’s and the larger social story into your tour visit. Truly a depraved atomic bomb escalation, with a price that people are still paying, and will continue to pay. I remember Duck and Cover drills, and being terrified of the Cold War right through the ‘80s. It was something that you just had to not think about if you had no power to do anything about it. Sometimes I wonder how much of the current culture of denial—of climate change, of disabling viruses—was trained into us during those decades. It is not insignificant.
Thank you so much, Priscilla. I think you’re onto something with the way it has affected our approach to impending apocalypses. Perhaps the root of the denial is a feeling of a complete lack of agency compounded with a sense that the government is simultaneously both responsible and unable - or unwilling - to help us.
A combo guaranteed to teach passivity, isn’t it.
Yes, and a constant state of fear.
Interesting piece. I learned some new things, particularly about GB’s nuclear efforts. Also, I listened to your post. Your narration is well done.
Also, you might find this link interesting.
https://cac.org/daily-meditations/remaining-steadfast-in-nonviolence/
Thanks Chuck!
Beautifully done, John. I'm sure a lot of your readers share familiar experiences. I certainly remember "Duck and Cover" and my Daddy served in the Navy as radio operator on a ship in the south Pacific. He didn't talk much about it, but insisted I learn Morse Code as a young girl. Bomb shelters proliferated in my town in GA during Cuban missile crisis. Ironically rare plants have a safe place at Hanford - irony abounds. Thank you.
Cleveland
Thanks, Cleveland! I’m curious to see how it resonates. I’m glad it did with you.