Feel free to post your own question or comment on The Day After and related materials here.
2 thoughts on “Week 10 Day 1 – Post Your Own”
Henry Cronic
I almost actually responded to the question about Overpeck because I was interested in the fact that, while there is some controversy, it did not seem like The Day After had that great of an effect on the general public about pursuing a nuclear freeze. That blows my mind. I’m pretty interested in the post-apocalyptic genre as a whole, and I’ve seen renditions of nuclear bombs going off in countless forms of media. This bomb strike was easily the scariest and most chilling I have ever seen. The color scheme, skeletons, and reoccurring noise of a match being put out when people were fired was horrifying. Yet, I still find myself pretty conflicted if I try to put myself in an American’s shoes at the time. Maybe deterrence is the best option, but deterrence can easily lead to the worst outcome. Basically, I would be interested in hearing what everyone else’s opinions are of the film, and whether or not they would think they would change their stances on a nuclear freeze after having seen it at the time.
In the panel ABC aired following the showing of The Day After, author Elie Weisel reflects on the similarities between the senseless extermination of Jews during World War II and the nuclear escalation of the Cold War, saying, “I’ve seen the film and while I was watching it, I had a strange feeling that I had seen it before. Except once upon a time, it happened to my people. And now it happens to all people…maybe the whole world strangely has turned Jewish.” In what ways do the tensions between the US and Soviet Russia echo the conflict between the Allied and Axis Powers during WWII? How did the increasing television and media coverage during the 1950’s-80’s affect the publics view on the Cold War, and how does it shape today’s political and cultural environment in light of increasing tensions between the US and North Korea?
I almost actually responded to the question about Overpeck because I was interested in the fact that, while there is some controversy, it did not seem like The Day After had that great of an effect on the general public about pursuing a nuclear freeze. That blows my mind. I’m pretty interested in the post-apocalyptic genre as a whole, and I’ve seen renditions of nuclear bombs going off in countless forms of media. This bomb strike was easily the scariest and most chilling I have ever seen. The color scheme, skeletons, and reoccurring noise of a match being put out when people were fired was horrifying. Yet, I still find myself pretty conflicted if I try to put myself in an American’s shoes at the time. Maybe deterrence is the best option, but deterrence can easily lead to the worst outcome. Basically, I would be interested in hearing what everyone else’s opinions are of the film, and whether or not they would think they would change their stances on a nuclear freeze after having seen it at the time.
In the panel ABC aired following the showing of The Day After, author Elie Weisel reflects on the similarities between the senseless extermination of Jews during World War II and the nuclear escalation of the Cold War, saying, “I’ve seen the film and while I was watching it, I had a strange feeling that I had seen it before. Except once upon a time, it happened to my people. And now it happens to all people…maybe the whole world strangely has turned Jewish.” In what ways do the tensions between the US and Soviet Russia echo the conflict between the Allied and Axis Powers during WWII? How did the increasing television and media coverage during the 1950’s-80’s affect the publics view on the Cold War, and how does it shape today’s political and cultural environment in light of increasing tensions between the US and North Korea?