Atomic Mythologies

[Cal McInvale]

>But then I'm not one to equate the bombing
>of Dresden with what we unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Why not? Is it because so many were wiped out so quickly? Or the slow pace
of death-by-radiation? This is something that makes me think. Why do people
react with such horror at the A-bomb attacks on Hiroshima & Nagasaki?

I'm not interested in or willing to argue about Japanese atrocities vs.
American atrocities -- to me, that's sheer nonsense: WAR is atrocity. As
Curtis LeMay said (and I paraphrase), "War is when you kill a whole bunch
of people and you keep killing until the other side calls it quits. Then
you've won it." There's no such thing as a humane war... unless you count
video games.

I'm interested in the mechanism behind this thing. What is it about
Hiroshima (let's face it, you hear very little about Nagasaki) that is so
horrible? Don't get me wrong: when I read about or see the pictures of
people stumbling blindly from the flames, strips of flesh hanging from
their bodies, I shudder with a deep fear & revulsion that must be horror.

But why pick Hiroshima as "the most horriblke act of war?" I'm curious.
Let's toss this one around a bit, folks: I know of no brighter group of
people on the Internet that the pynchon-l crowd, so let's get to the meat
(tofu, for any vegetarians out there) of this one.

(BTW, Steely: Thanks for the tip of the Doctorow article. I'll be sure &
get a copy.)


Cal McInvale       e-mail:  godot at wolfe.net
WWW: http://www.wolfe.com/~godot/index.html
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What is most appealing about young folks, after all, is the changes, not
the still photographs of finished character but the movie, the soul in
flux.  -- Thomas Pynchon