Atomic Cafe

“Atomic Cafe” illustrates through the nature of it’s production and contextual footage the sociopolitical and cultural climate of the 1950s in the United States. The residual and evolutionary influence of the Cold War and the atomic bomb amongst the nation is portrayed throughout the documentary, stimulated most by politicians exercising propaganda through nationalistic appearances to manipulate the public, leaving them with a tainted understanding of the nuclear situation, distorted by their insisted subjective realism. The promoted, deceptive influence of the government and international nuclear environment ultimately transforms the American people of the 1950s, resulting in naive behaviors and misappropriated reactions. This culture based on propaganda can be observed from the Bikini test, educational systems and household influence. Atomic Cafe is presents the story of the atomic bomb, birthed in the New Mexico Desert. As the United States experimented with first atomic and later hydrogen based nuclear testing, it is essential to emphasize the use of nationalism by the political sphere to propagate the public into accepting and misperceiving nuclear activity and it’s significance. Commander of the Bikini Tests, Vice Admiral W.H.P Blandy exerts a dictation of tailored apprehension and positioned defense to the public which initiates the preconceived reactionary processes of the American people, “….It will not destroy gravity, I am not an atomic playboy, exploding these bombs to satisfy my personal whim.” Until today, nationalism is used as a cushion for questionable consideration of nuclear and foreign conflict. This subjective realism of nuclear activity positioned into the minds of the American people by the government is also found immersed in the education system in of the time in the country. From the textbooks to “Duck and Cover” drills,