Is this related to Bikini Atoll?
I randomly read some book when I was a kid about Bikini. I’m sure the book probably sucks ass or is otherwise problematic, BUT, the point is that shit permanently carved a little groove in my brain labeled “hydrogen bombs bad.”
Probably sounds dumb, but it is interesting to note how such seemingly inconsequential things in your life stick with you forever. I was probably the only 10 year old in that class reading about people being forcefully evacuated so that their paradise island home could be fucking nuked for no other reason than “well, we gotta know what it can do to scare the goddamn commies!” And now every time I see a photo of nuclear bombs I can’t help but immediately picture in my head an island, like Hawaii probably, with a bunch of indigenous people including little kids being herded off the island with some vague promises of coming back soon… and we all know they sure as shit never went back.
On a grander scale, it does make me wonder things like “did I develop a sensitivity towards indigenous movements later on because I was exposed, even lightly, to stories of their loss and suffering?” Or is it something more innate in people’s minds and their personalities. Why does it often seem like I’m surrounded (as an American…) by people who give literally not a single shit? Do they care but suppress that caring for selfish reasons? I dunno, but I do know that the older I get I’m still naive enough to find myself making an argument for simple acknowledgment of the humanity of others and being met with brick walls and looked at like I’m out of my mind by people desperate to change the conversation to literally anything else.
Latest topic of discussion: “high ranked US military officers shouldn’t be able to retire and then immediately get jobs at Raytheon, etc. where their job is speak uncritically of the technical capabilities on national TV every time there’s a conflict or chance of conflict abroad. Ignoring all the context around… all of that… it’s simply immoral and objectively “bad” for someone’s whose job it was to use/decide to use deadly weapons to now be selling those same weapons and using their expertise and experience as credentials.”
My dad’s response: “well, but…” then stares at me, in my mid 30s now, with the familiar look of “why…? Please stop making me think about this…” And the response to that is, no, Dad I won’t stop making you think about it, but also I can tell that the entire problem is that he absolutely does refuse to think about it. Silent complicity… The horrors of the world, all too terrible to ever even tangentially acknowledge.
Daily descent into insanity log requirement fulfilled…
