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Subject: Did we all think....
...we were gonna die in a horrific nuclear conflict? I was just a wee lad in '82 when the Falklands kicked off but I remmeber my aunt asking what would happen if they dropped the bomb - think it coincided with the old "Protect and Survive" leaflet popping through our door.
Anyone have any memories they could share with someone who was too young to care?
Was life really that black? I saw Threads the other day and it was a *cool* film from the images of the 80's but, was it all that grim? And, was it the Russians or the Chinese we were most afraid of or Communism in general?
If you have time to answer then that'd be great.
Regards
DGG
Subject: Re: Did we all think....
Quoting:
Was life really that black? I saw Threads the other day and it was a *cool* film from the images of the 80's but, was it all that grim?End Quote
Thanks! I was just about to start a thread about nuclear holocaust movies and "Threads" was the one I was trying to remember! Way better than that hyped up "Day After" crap. :P
I can remember that WW3 was an omnipresent danger always hanging over our heads in the 80's. Nuclear proliferation was escalating, much like it is today. Come to think of it, I think it was just a general feeling that the whole world was going to he!! in a handbasket what with environmental damage, pollution, crime, poverty, economic times, etc.. etc.. I believe the problems are still there and even worse, but I suspect people are in denial or couldn't care less. :-/
Subject: Re: Did we all think....
I was a teenager during the 80's. I know that it was a danger but never really worried about it. That could be because I was a teenager with the attitude of "it will never happen to me"...or it could be because I lived between a major air force base and a company that makes rocket parts...two major targets in Utah so if the nukes did drop, I would probably have been vaporized and worrying wouldn't help.
Subject: Re: Did we all think....
Quoting:
Was life really that black? I saw Threads the other day and it was a *cool* film from the images of the 80's but, was it all that grim? And, was it the Russians or the Chinese we were most afraid of or Communism in general?
If you have time to answer then that'd be great.
Regards
DGG
End Quote
I remember this. They made us watch 'Threads' at school as part of a personal development class, personally it developed me into someone with a morbid fear that the world would soon cataclysmically end. 'I want to grow up, not blow up' was a popular (maybe CND) slogan. I was a member of CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), as were most of my school class. Our government (UK quasi-fascist, at the time) did its' best to hype up our fears that the Cold War was still going strong, despite the fact that the 'Eastern Bloc' was already breaking down. Looking back, I had forgotten quite how scared we were- a book that gives a good appreciation of the UK state of mind then is 'When The Wind Blows' by Raymond Briggs, ostensibly a childrens' book but very representative of the scared helplessness we were made to feel by the nature of the times.
As a footnote to this, I no longer fear nuclear proliferation. Time has proven that plenty of countries can have nuclear weapons & not use them irresponsibly (is it ever possible to use then responsibly??)- my fear now is that a far-right western superpower somewhere (no names mentioned), due to their support of Israel invading Palestine, will trigger a third (religion-based) world war. Then, at least, we'll see if the modern scaremonger claims regarding WMD are warranted or not... ;D
Subject: Re: Did we all think....
I was also a teenager in the 80s. I remember that it was the U.S. vs. the Russians. We both had all the nuclear weapons and at any time somebody was going to start a war. But people didn't seem to worry too much about it. I was too busy hanging out with friends, going to the movies, listening to music, and kissing girls to worry too much about it.
The Russians were painted as bad guys (by the media) and Ronald Reagan always tried to make us rest assured that we were all going to be OK. A big eye-opener for me (as well as a lot of others) was the Sting song, "Russians." I think that we all viewed them different after that and after the collapse of the Russian government. I think times are much worse now.
"Russians"
In Europe and America, there's a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mr. Krushchev said we will bury you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It would be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too
How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy
There is no monopoly in common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too
There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the President
There's no such thing as a winnable war
It's a lie that we don't believe anymore
Mr. Reagan says we will protect you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us, me, and you
Is that the Russians love their children too
Subject: Re: Did we all think....
AAAHHHH the Cold War. Life was centered around it. I was in the military during the 80s. The thought of a nuclear holicaust did frieghten me. It was an "Us vs Them" type situation (thanks to the propaganda) with the Soviets being the "Them." As I got older, I realized that the Soviets or the Russians are not really different from us. When I was in the military, I remember going to this briefing where they had slides of two people talking in a car. One guy was from the CIA and the other was from the KGB. On one side of the car was another CIA agent taking pictures of the two in the car. On the other side of the car was another KGB agent also taking pictures. They all knew that they were all there. It reminded me of Spy vs Spy from Mad Magizine.
I did see both the Day After and Threads. Both were pretty scary because I was possible that it could happen. I tried not to think about it too much. But I couldn't help thinking of this poster my brother had. It gave a list of things to in case of a nuclear war. It listed things like stay away from windows, go down into a basement if you had one, loosen clothing etc. But what I really remember about it was the very last thing to do. "Put your head between your knees and kiss your @$$ good-bye."
Cat