Atomic Bombs, Public Relations, and Academia –or- A Historical Perspective On B.S.

“…World War II and, particularly, the development of the atom bomb, greatly strengthened both the self-confidence of university-based academic scholars and their political power. The development of the practical application of atomic energy was seen as a triumph of theoretical, intellectual effort. Furthermore it was considered university-based and an achievement of professors.”
(Atkin & House from The federal role in curriculum development)

The atomic bomb is the best proof humanity has that we are completely insane and should not have been left to our own devices. Possibly the most rapid climb in civilization has been rivaled only by the most rapid decline in humanity. By this I mean that as the world has grown more “technological” and “ordered” and therefore somehow more “civilized” it has also become better at blasting humanity off of the face of the earth and robbing human beings of the basic virtues of authenticity and vulnerability.

I’ve been in on this conversation in graduate school about how the current United States curriculum became what it is currently (read: how it became as jacked up and impotent as it, by and large, is today). Blame the atomic bomb. Besides, a mass murder machine makes for an easy enough villain. (If you must, for theatrics, imagine the atomic bomb with a little villainous moustache and a black cape).

Seriously, the development of the atomic bomb created so much commotion (and destruction) that the “Cold War” began. Now, I don’t need to tell you that wars are bad, difficult things in their own right, but a COLD War sounds even more sinister and heartless in its connotation. So the nuclear arms race begins and walls are erected in the middle of Berlin and torn down later and all of that. Somewhere in there, on an October 4th (a great day for me later in 1983), the Russians launch a robot into outer space which scares the good sense out of any hamburger and hotdog American. They even have the nerve to give the thing a real Russian-sounding name; Sputnick. The only thing worse would have been if they named it IVAN or COMMUNISM.

So then some guys latch onto this kind of crazed panic and then use it to manipulate politics and people. They change the way kids are educated just because they have a voice and a fear to speak into… and maybe a legitimate fear to be fair.

The point is this; the quote that I started this blog off with makes a revelatory statement. This fear gave academia its power. And academia had nothing better to do than to use and abuse it as they saw fit. All of the sudden, I realize why culture and the world around me is the way it is. I realize why the most important things are argued instead of talked about and why spin and “P.R.” dominate the “news” climate. (Side note: News, in its truest form, is the exposure of truth, not the creation of it… turn off the radio and TV… no one is in it for the right reasons anymore.)

Academia is full of shit. I’m sorry I have to say that so strongly, but it is the only word that will capture what I am meaning. Spend one day at a university orientation, meeting, or event, and you will be exposed to more posturing, more bullshit, more P.R. and spin and less honesty and honest pursuit of truth and knowledge than you would think possible. Graduate School orientation was a joke. Person after person came up to talk about how good other people were and how the were associated. Who are you selling?

So Academia helped pop culture feel more comfortable about bullshit. When you can hole up in library and spew forth posits about the world that you don’t live in and never interact with, and you have plenty of cool words to do it with… this is the result. Turn on your TV. Watch a “news” channel. Pretty fishy. And if you want a real treat, sit in on a bunch of college students and listen to our conversations. B.S. Lots of B.S.