Nihilism

6. Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine that life is meaningless and that there is no deep order or purpose to the universe. What are the nihilistic elements of the film? Are there any contrary elements of the film that undermine a general nihilistic theme? What, if any, are the political implications of the film's treatment of nihilism?

The film "The Atomic CafÐ"©" brilliantly portrays the habitual life in U.S. society during the Cold War. The Cold War was a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two main superpowers at the time. During the war both parties developed nuclear weapons and therefore assured each other mutual destruction. This constant threat led the American society to become extremely paranoid and chaotic at times. Nihilism is the "general rejection of customary beliefs in morality, religion etc." It is also "the philosophical doctrine that life is meaningless and there is no deep order or purpose to the universe." The film contains many nihilistic elements that allow the viewer to imagine the sociological problems and the political complications at the time while still depicting some noon-nihilistic issues present in society to and the negative effects of this philosophy on the political spectrum.

"The Atomic CafÐ"©" is a type of documentary that depicts the social situation of the United States during the Cold War. It shows the general attitude of the average American citizen toward the war and the effect of the political conflict on ordinary life. It is definitely an anti-war war movie since it shows the negative side of the consequence of nuclear warfare on the general public and therefore convinces the viewer that nuclear war is ridiculous. The film shows various aspects of the negative results the Cold War had on society.

"The Atomic CafÐ"©" manages to illustrate the horrors of the Cold War and how afraid the American people were due to the threat of nuclear destruction leading to the nihilistic belief that life is meaningless and a general lack of moral values amongst the population. People knew and feared that there could be a nuclear explosion at any time causing them to constantly think about the dreadfulness of this event. In the film, a man and a woman were talking about the terrible injuries of nuclear explosions. They commented that it was "an awful gas that deforms you, it doesn't just kill you straight out, that's what's scary about it." Another example of the atrociousness of nuclear tests is when the direction of the airflow was not as the scientist predicted it would be; therefore the nuclear debris was drifting toward St. George. The town had to be under emergency regulations for a long period of nerve-wrecking time; the children had to have their outdoor recess cancelled and there was a profound anxiousness all through the town. This shows the immense change that the nuclear threats brought about on everyday life. After the American soldiers in the film had finished an atomic test, they got issued film badges that informed them if they were going to die depending on the amount of radiation they received. Soldiers' lives were constantly threatened by the worse death imaginable causing them and their families to worry relentlessly. The scary part was not only dying, but the way the commanders treated their death with such casualty that makes the viewer reject the idea of war during the film. That particular scene was an example of nihilism because it showed how invaluable a human life during the Cold War.

The American people lived under constant fear during the Cold War, causing them to loose focus on the values and philosophies they had previously believed in since all of their time was wasted fretting over the possibility of their lives being shattered by nuclear destruction. There was no longer time or effort for rest, relaxation, religion, soul-searching and other activities that elevate one's spiritual level. Instead, people watched the news apprehensively; parents sat around worrying about their children while they were at school and those same kids were being taught to duck and cover and to be afraid. The search for tranquility and peace was not a common goal since people did not really have the time to think about these things with the threat of nuclear destruction lingering around in the air they breathed. The film showed how all of these factors decreased the level of morality in humanity during the Cold War and therefore depicted the nihilistic elements of the war. Politicians seriously considered using Nuclear weapons of mass destruction to annihilate the entire world, and society did not object, even as preposterous of an idea it seems to be. Because of this reason, life lost its value during this period of time. The destruction of the world as solely a political conflict, and had nothing to do with the moral dilemma of wiping out all of humanity.

Society was chaotic, homes were cracked with fear and people were just waiting to hear the atomic explosion. A society without morals, and that does not value the meaning of life may be considered nihilistic. Even though the Cold War did not involve any actual fighting in America, it brought about a lot of instability and anxiousness, issues that were clearly exemplified in the movie.

"The Atomic CafÐ"©" illustrated the excessive paranoia that was experienced by American society during the Cold War leading to the creation of a nihilistic society because people and the politicians who represented them lost their moral grounds and believed existence had no purpose. In the film, parents were very worried about their children while they were at school because they would be apart if a nuclear explosion were to occur and would not know if their child survived or not. Every school had nuclear bomb drills where children had to quickly hide under their desks to protect themselves in case of an explosion. In the film the kids were shown a video or "Burt the Turtle" telling them what to do if a nuclear explosion were to occur. The friendly turtle told them by singing a catchy tune to "Duck and Cover" since an explosion could occur at anytime in any place. The short cartoon did not make a nuclear attack seem scary, it just showed it as something that could happen and any given time and showed the best way to protect themselves. This cartoon in a way mocks the seriousness of a nuclear injury making the viewer question the integrity of the society at the time. The constant insecurity felt by the people quickly led to brutal paranoia that later became part of everyday life. The fact that a whole population could be blown up and exterminated at any particular moment because of a decision made by a single politician became a common preoccupation. The