nihilism :: essays research papers

6. Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine that life is meaningless and that there is no deep order or purpose to the universe. What are the nihilistic elements of the plastic film? Are there any contrary elements of the film that undermine a normal nihilistic theme? What, if any, are the political implications of the films give-and-take of nihilism?The film The Atomic Caf brilliantly portrays the habitual life in U.S. society during the frosty War. The Cold War was a period of tension amid the United States and the Soviet Union, the two main superpowers at the time. During the war both parties developed nuclear weapons and therefore assured each other mutual destruction. This changeless threat led the American society to become extremely paranoid and chaotic at times. Nihilism is the general rejection of customary beliefs in morality, religion etc. It is also the philosophical doctrine that life is meaningless and there is no deep order or purpose to the universe. The film co ntains many nihilistic elements that deed over the viewer to imagine the sociological problems and the political complications at the time while still depicting some noon-nihilistic issues present in society to and the negative set up of this philosophy on the political spectrum.The Atomic Caf is a type of documentary that depicts the social situation of the United States during the Cold War. It shows the general attitude of the average American citizen toward the war and the effect of the political conflict on ordinary life. It is definitely an anti-war war movie since it shows the negative side of the consequence of nuclear warfare on the general public and therefore convinces the viewer that nuclear war is ridiculous. The film shows various aspects of the negative results the Cold War had on society. The Atomic Caf manages to illustrate the horrors of the Cold War and how afraid the American people were due to the threat of nuclear destruction leading to the nihilistic belief t hat life is meaningless and a general lack of moral values amongst the population. People knew and feared that there could be a nuclear explosion at any time causing them to constantly telephone about the dreadfulness of this event. In the film, a man and a woman were talking about the terrible injuries of nuclear explosions. They commented that it was an awful gas that deforms you, it doesnt just kill you straight out, thats whats scary about it.