Thursday, October 2, 2014
Kairos of American Propaganda
As this American propaganda was released in the 1960s, during the Cold War between the Soviets and the Americans, it clearly met its kairotic moment. During the 1960s, the US was completely focused on demonstrating their superiority to the Soviets, as the Space Race took place during the Cold War. The Cold War, which took place from 1945 to 1987, was an ongoing, non-violent conflict between the Soviet Union and United States, caused by each nation's fear that they would become subordinate to the other. In the poster, it is interesting that the astronauts are depicted as space marines, holding machine guns, as the Cold War was a conflict characterized by a lack of actual fighting or military weapons. Additionally, the disproportionally large American flag and the globe in the background centered on North America are further depictions of America's yearning for superiority, which was present throughout the Cold War. Perhaps the propaganda is depicting such an aggressive campaign to rally patriotism, due to the common fear during the 1960s that communism would take over the United States. However, as the Cold War has been resolved, the Americans have been less driven to further explore space, as we have just this past month received confirmation that our satellite entered Mars' orbit. Perhaps these delayed advancements are due to the lack of political international competition present currently, but it could also be due to the fact that international issues with nations in the Middle East are of more current importance to the federal government.
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ReplyDeleteHey Elene,
ReplyDeleteYour focus on the size of the American flag as a message for American global dominance was quite interesting and your insight into why the Space race occurred when it did, and the political basis for the creation of NASA in 1958 was great. I really liked how you underlined the modern day diminishing importance of space activity to allow for an increased focus on global politics particularly interesting. I wonder if you believe that many scientific advancements occurred due to a political atmosphere as well?
-Lina Bauer
Hi Elene,
ReplyDeleteLike Lina said, I also found including the size of the American flag an interesting component in your argument as it clearly expressed American dominance not only for the space race but to the Soviets in general. It is ironic that the poster would include the machine guns yet the Cold War did not actually involve fighting. I also liked how you compared the varying importance of the space race from the 1960s to today.
My Keys
I thought you brought a good point of view to your kairos argument, and mentioning the modern days space outlooks was cool. I think it is really interesting how the American poster emphasizes the use of weapons during a non violent war while the Russian one focuses more on uplifting the youth. Do you think that says anything about the U.S. and our outlook on war? Just curious.
ReplyDelete-Lindsey Wright
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=American+Propaganda+%E2%80%9CClean+Communist+Filth%E2%80%9D+1960's&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#rls=en&q=Clean+Communist+Filth+1960
ReplyDeleteAre you sure this is a real poster.
Elene, really nice analysis of imagery in the text. Notably, it's not just that the flag is large, but that the "stripes" portion is elongated. What's the meaning there?
ReplyDeleteLina, I definitely believe that the political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States were a driving force for the American space-related advancements; however, I also believe that the scientists' thirst for knowledge inspired their studies.
ReplyDeleteLindsey, though the American propaganda is much more aggressive than the Soviet propaganda, I think that the creator intended for the guns to make the astronauts appear powerful, thus instilling patriotism in its' viewers. When we consider the depiction of army cadets or marines in TV commercials, they are often pictured with guns, making them appear fearless and unstoppable. I believe the creator of this poster was trying to achieve the same effect towards the astronauts, while contributing to the political conversation.
Professor Bayly, as we know, the stripes represent the thirteen original colonies of the United States, and the color red symbolizes "hardiness and valor" while the white symbolizes "purity and innocence" (http://swampland.time.com/2013/07/04/why-the-u-s-flag-is-red-white-and-blue/). Perhaps the creator wanted to focus more on the humble beginnings of the United States, to further emphasize the previously unimaginable frontiers that they had thus conquered?