Red White And Blue Scare
1A Contestant - Elliott Morris
The Red, White, and Blue Scare
“American’s have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented” – Eric Alterman circa 1960.
When Eric Alterman so boldly said this in 1960, he was affirming his stature in many areas to his fellow Americans. He was establishing himself as a societal whistleblower, a governmental troublemaker, and a political activist – all with one sentence. It is also important to note the time period in which he made his sentence; at no other point in American history (except maybe the present) was national security of such high interest. Eric Alterman is famed for his gutsy approach to sociological and governmental criticism—a trait that need be present in our overbearingly “safe” status quo.
From the late 1950’s to the early 1970’s there existed a dual polarity in the world. I’m not talking about the north and south artic/Antarctic poles; I’m talking about the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, which we know today as Russia. These two countries fought, seemingly without end, a political battle that required no shots to have its message heard—whoever could display the most strength in the newly globalized world would be the leader. What better way to display strength than massive amounts of long-ranged ballistic thermonuclear arms? Both the US and Russia thought so as well, but Eric Alterman objected to this for he thought it would spread wide spread panic—which it did.
This newly established sort of political war reigned terror over the peoples of both countries. In the United States, this was known as the “Red Scare”, earning its name from Russia’s red flag and the “evil” connotation that its communist government displayed to the numerous amounts of closely watching nations. Of course, as we both know, the easiest way to win the heard of a people plagued by fear is to offer them a sense of
The Red, White, and Blue Scare
“American’s have always evinced some distrust of government, but the current situation has exacerbated this to a degree that may be unprecedented” – Eric Alterman circa 1960.
When Eric Alterman so boldly said this in 1960, he was affirming his stature in many areas to his fellow Americans. He was establishing himself as a societal whistleblower, a governmental troublemaker, and a political activist – all with one sentence. It is also important to note the time period in which he made his sentence; at no other point in American history (except maybe the present) was national security of such high interest. Eric Alterman is famed for his gutsy approach to sociological and governmental criticism—a trait that need be present in our overbearingly “safe” status quo.
From the late 1950’s to the early 1970’s there existed a dual polarity in the world. I’m not talking about the north and south artic/Antarctic poles; I’m talking about the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, which we know today as Russia. These two countries fought, seemingly without end, a political battle that required no shots to have its message heard—whoever could display the most strength in the newly globalized world would be the leader. What better way to display strength than massive amounts of long-ranged ballistic thermonuclear arms? Both the US and Russia thought so as well, but Eric Alterman objected to this for he thought it would spread wide spread panic—which it did.
This newly established sort of political war reigned terror over the peoples of both countries. In the United States, this was known as the “Red Scare”, earning its name from Russia’s red flag and the “evil” connotation that its communist government displayed to the numerous amounts of closely watching nations. Of course, as we both know, the easiest way to win the heard of a people plagued by fear is to offer them a sense of