[ad_1]
This is the version of atlantic ocean A daily newsletter that guides you through the day’s biggest stories. Helps you discover new ideas and introduces the best of the culture Register here
I retired from a long teaching career a few years ago. But in the years to come come to the classroom I offer courses on the Cold War and American popular culture. In an effort to help young students understand the fears that dominated the lives of many Americans in the 20th century, when my students saw images of nuclear destruction, No matter how many times (and references to Ronald Reagan) appear on MTV, they start to understand. We still talk Twilight zoneA series full of barely-concealed allegories about the Cold War, writer and creator Rod Serling who were veterans of World War II, had already surveyed wound From the past and worries about the future in many of the chapters he writes.
But the student was surprised—as you might be—to discover that. star trekOne of my childhood favorites was its sustained and deliberate critique of the Cold War over its original three seasons from 1966 to 1969.
A number of science fiction luminaries have written about star trekIt includes Norman Spinrad, Theodore Sturgeon, and Harlan Ellison, but the series’ creator and executive producer, Gene Roddenberry, is the show’s moral center. Roddenberry is a former Los Angeles police officer. who had served in World War II Like Serling and share a passion for issues of war, peace, and social justice. As author Marc Cushman documents, These are the journeys.An exhaustive, multi-volume history of the series, Roddenberry often angered these famous writers with his heavy-handed rewrites. (He and Ellison remained enemies for the rest of their lives.)
For some certainty. star trek The episodes are just imaginary and fluff (“Spock’s Brain” in which the first officer’s brain is stolen by a beautiful but seemingly stupid planet). It is often considered the worst episode. But there were many contestants.) Others expressed their views on American social issues, such as racism. With sudden, obvious symbolism: “Let That Be Your Battlefield” describes an endless war between two races on the same planet. One tribe is black on the right side of the body. One more tribe is black on the left and … well, you get the picture.
But admiring the Cold War scene of star trekYou just need to understand that the planetary federation led by Earth. (a free and democratic association committed to equality among all living things) is NATO Captain James T. Kirk was born and raised in Iowa. Take command of the USS Enterprise, the ultimate flagship. The villains standing up for the Soviet Union were the Klingons, whose empire was a brutal and aggressive dictator.
Two Cold War themes emerged. star trek: The risk of superpower confrontation. and the dangers of ultimate destruction, in “The Omega Glory,” a simple episode that Roddenberry pushed to produce on the Enterprise. An underdeveloped planet with an Asian-looking “Kohm” is found enslaving “young” white people. It turns out to be an developed planet. like the world in every way—There’s a hocus-pocus sci-fi that explains how planets sometimes do this. including America and Red China (Kohm and Yang Communists and Yankees, get it?) then wiped themselves out with biological warfare.
Other episodes are a bit more complicated: In “The Return of the Archons,” Kirk confronts a society run like a hive by a single leader named Landru. which demands that every citizen “become” a body (spoiler: he’s a computer (Out-of-control computers are another common issue.) As Cushman notes, Crushing the individual for the benefit of the whole is a deliberate message about life under communism.
In the same way Just as the United States and the Soviet Union competed with each other in the developing world in the 20th century, the Klingons and the Federation often clashed over the future development of planets. In “The Trouble With Tribbles,” a famous episode and One of the few attempts at comedy. The Klingons and the Federation are competing to develop and win control of neutral planets. The Federation’s bid was to offer to grow wheat. The Klingons retaliated by secretly poisoning the seeds and in an “errand of mercy” organization. Race to stop the Klingon takeover of Organia, a strategic planet that appears to be controlled by annoying pacifist simpletons. But it turns out that the Organians are actually the most advanced. Almost omnipotent Those who can tolerate all this conflict And they established a peace treaty on both sides. Thus, interstellar war could be avoided (“It would be. glorious” the disappointed Klingon commander said at the end)
In the year 1968 star trek made one of his clearest opinions about the Cold War in “A Private Little War,” an episode about the Vietnam War. Once again, the Federation and the Klingons struggle for control of an underdeveloped and internally divided planet. But this time the Klingons began sending weapons to one of the warring factions. The screenplay went through various changes. Plenty as the writers grapple with whether or not Kirk should intervene and arm the more peaceful side of the world. Which he eventually did. With deep sorrow
manuscript star trek The question is often asked whether the world experiences a nuclear war. (The next item in the list Canon including star trek The film confirms that, in fact, World War III has occurred), but nuclear weapons are often on writers’ minds. For example, Spinrad has created the “Doomsday Machine,” an alien device that devours entire planets. when it travels into our galaxy Kirk ponders how the world foolishly thought the thermonuclear bomb was the ultimate weapon.
At times, producers directly responded to Cold War events. In early 1968, the U.S. Navy dispatched the Pueblo. Captured by North Koreans Claiming to be in their waters on a spy mission. They held the crew for nearly a year. star trek Writer Dorothy C. Fontana decided to put Kirk and Spock in a similar situation to the Enterprise. Trapped after entering Romulan territory The episode titled “The Enterprise Incident” aired while Pueblo’s The crew is still incarcerated.
One function of popular culture is to help artists and viewers relieve their anxiety. The Cold War was a terrifying time. and the central themes of the war dominate American culture. Whether it is sending spies, e.g. Get smart. or the weekly adventures of Mission: Impossible A team in a fictional location that barely disguises itself as a representative of a communist country. Science fiction is an excellent medium for comparison and star trek It promises that we will all eventually make it through the 20th century and live under the wise auspices of the Confederacy.
Unfortunately, this verse also suggests that humanity will have to live through another Cold War. At least until the organics stop it.
Related:
Here are three new stories from atlantic ocean–
Shipping
Explore all our newsletters here.
evening reading
Why don’t rich people close their windows?
By Michael Waters
Walk down a block of an affluent neighborhood at night. You might be surprised how much you can see. One uncovered window might reveal the glare of the flat-screen TV opposite the curved sofa. You might see a marble kitchen island and a chandelier. Of course, some curtains are closed. But many of them opened. Make the inside of the house open. It’s like you’re looking into a showroom.
Roofless windows have quietly become the home of high-end homes. Across America… Although this phenomenon is most visible in cities, But the connection between wealth and open windows extends across the United States. Most people still keep their blinders closed. But Americans with incomes of more than $150,000 are nearly twice as likely to leave their windows open as those with incomes of $20,000 to $29,000, according to A. Large study in 2013 For the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly 20 percent of the first group This compares to just 10 percent of the second group. The line is not smooth as you move up and down the income scale. But the overall trend is clear: The choice of whether to pull the curtain or not is driven in part by class.
Read the full article
destroy culture
watch. blink twice (Available to rent online) Anticipate the culture shift set for 2024.
read. These eight books will inspire you to get your body moving.
Play our daily crossword puzzle.
Isabel Fattal contributes to this newsletter.
When you purchase a book using a link in this newsletter. We will earn a commission. Thank you for your support. atlantic ocean–
[ad_2]
Source link
