In Post 9-11 America, one would imagine security surrounding nuclear material to be at an all time high. One would also imagine the public’s concerns to be at the same level, but that just is not the case. Only seven years have passed since terrorism has hit American soil, and in my opinion the general public is at ease, in the sense that we are not so worried of another comparable occurrence in the future.
As destructive as the events of 9/11/01 were, they could not compare to the bombings as Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have experienced terrorism and are not that shaken anymore, so for the public to be seriously concerned about a potential nuclear bombing is not very likely. After all it seems as if centuries have passed since World War II, and it did not even occur in America. We’ve only read about these events, and maybe imagined them as scenes from an action movie. Catastrophes always seem to have a fiction-like air to them as time passes. As concerned as we should be about the threat of nuclear bombs, it just isn’t the reality.
Why is it that as a whole we fail to truly care about the threat of nuclear bombs? It very well could be our psychological way of coping with it. We would rather not think about it and subconsciously hope it doesn’t happen. An opposing psychological view may be that we think it would never happen to us, because as American humans we sometimes like to think we are indestructible. Either way, instead of action we choose only to hope that the Atomic Energy Commission is doing its job and keeping nuclear material out of the wrong hands.
Personally I feel that if the horrible violent acts of the past have not opened our eyes to the possible threats, only a direct attack would. Societies have endured the effects of atomic bombs and have rebuilt. The destruction of an event like this would be unimaginable, and it is a shame that as a whole we neglect to act in a way so that an atomic bombing would be far less likely to happen. Whether its denial, arrogance or indifference, it is unfortunate that the threat is not as real to us as it should be.
As destructive as the events of 9/11/01 were, they could not compare to the bombings as Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have experienced terrorism and are not that shaken anymore, so for the public to be seriously concerned about a potential nuclear bombing is not very likely. After all it seems as if centuries have passed since World War II, and it did not even occur in America. We’ve only read about these events, and maybe imagined them as scenes from an action movie. Catastrophes always seem to have a fiction-like air to them as time passes. As concerned as we should be about the threat of nuclear bombs, it just isn’t the reality.
Why is it that as a whole we fail to truly care about the threat of nuclear bombs? It very well could be our psychological way of coping with it. We would rather not think about it and subconsciously hope it doesn’t happen. An opposing psychological view may be that we think it would never happen to us, because as American humans we sometimes like to think we are indestructible. Either way, instead of action we choose only to hope that the Atomic Energy Commission is doing its job and keeping nuclear material out of the wrong hands.
Personally I feel that if the horrible violent acts of the past have not opened our eyes to the possible threats, only a direct attack would. Societies have endured the effects of atomic bombs and have rebuilt. The destruction of an event like this would be unimaginable, and it is a shame that as a whole we neglect to act in a way so that an atomic bombing would be far less likely to happen. Whether its denial, arrogance or indifference, it is unfortunate that the threat is not as real to us as it should be.
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