It seems perfectly clear to me that the only way to prevent nuclear war is through mutually assured destruction. Either we all live or we all die. Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove is a critical comedy on the Cold War...critical in the sense that it is criticizing some of the absurdities of the Cold War (come on people...build more nukes to prevent a war???), and comical in every other aspect! The Charles Maland article says "Edmund Wilson's warning in 1963 that our spending on nuclear weapons may be one of mankind's final acts, and H. Stuart Hughes' impassioned challenge to deterrence strategy and his support of disarmament in the same year" hinted at how some Americans in the 60's were not so satisfied with the solution to preventing nuclear war.
The idea itself is funny to me...not so much from the sick sense of humor, but more because to the paradoxical nature of the concept. Let's make peace [and build nukes]. You can't win for losing! The film mocks this in a critical tone. General Jack Ripper is the man responsible for activating the 'Doomsday Machine', which Kubrick uses as a metaphor representing Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). Ripper shows the flaws in the logic of MAD through the film's version of the American government and military. Ripper is obviously psychotic, and the government was so intent on preventing nuclear war that it took made irrational decisions which led to what they had hoped to prevent. Kubrick also adds a lot of humor to the tense situation by making reference to female genitalia (President Merkin Muffley), and having him say things like "Gentlemen, you can't fight here! It's the war room!", which is as logically contradictory as building nukes to prevent war. Also contradictory is the sign at Ripper's base that reads 'Peace is our Profession' while a violent gun-fight is taking place around it. Generally speaking, there were multiple references to the insanity of MAD, such as when Merkin Muffley is talking to Dimitri Kisov (Kisov, playing on the saying 'Kiss off!!') and the two men are trying to be 'sorrier' to each other. It really doesn't matter who is the sorriest, sorry doesn't cut it when we're all DEAD!!!!
Good description!! (Also good image!) I assume you're being ironic in your opening sentence, as another fairly good option is not to have nukes at all, and all. Making more specific use of the reading would have been good here, and/or some discussion of the cinematography. But you certainly have the main points.
ReplyDeleteHahaha yes, the opening sentence was full to the brim with irony. I'll make more use of the readings in future posts!
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