Chernobyl, Bent Spears and the Illusion of Control
How close to the brink have we been in the past 60 years?
Eric Schlosser, the investigative journalist of Fast Food Nation fame, reveals the unnerving story of the post-WWII world grappling with nuclear weaponry. In his forthcoming work Command and Control, Schlosser chronicles near-misses including one close call at the height of the Cold War. A bomb more powerful than the one that destroyed Hiroshima was nearly detonated by accident in the heartland of America. We had devised fail-safe systems that “worship uniformity, conformity, and centralized control” to protect us against nuclear attack, or at minimum, guarantee mutually assured destruction. Everything is under control… right?
There are also stories of heroes, like the man who saved the world—he did not having blind faith in the satellite warning system which incorrectly reported an intercontinental missile strike. (Standard military procedure required launching a “retaliatory” nuclear attack. As Albert Einstein said, “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”) Like financial risk models may provide a greater sense of security than warranted, Schlosser concludes that the current nuclear regime simply creates the illusion of control… except here, “too big to fail” doesn’t just wipe out our retirement savings.
See Eric Schlosser live in a rare, local appearance on November 3rd at the Herbst Theatre. Sure you can shower him with a standing ovation or perhaps, more apropos… a duck and cover.
Till next time!
~Mister Archer
The Details:
Eric Schlosser: In conversation with Roy Eisenhardt
Herbst Theatre, November 3, 2009 at 8:00pm
CityBoxOffice.com
This event will sell out quickly.
