Solemn Feats of the Atomic Tourist: A Peace Tour of Nuclear War in Japan First Printing: August 2012. More from me at cattywampus.tumblr.com Get in touch at
[email protected] Published by Insignificant Press. I Solemn Feats of the Atomic Tourist 2 Fo rward – We are all brainwashed, and our hands are dirty. A lot of people don’t hold on tightly to the facts of history. Instead, history for most normal people (those without advanced degrees in history) is a kind of impressionistic affair. They remember lessons and feelings. George Washington had wooden teeth. The first ten minutes of Saving Private Ryan are exactly what D-Day was like. Luke’s father was Darth Vader. For those outside of the historical profession, history is like the Bible – simple parables that provide an unchangeable compass for use in navigating one’s place in the world. Tales of morality and vanquished evil make people feel good. World War II is less an event than a monument that they visited last summer in DC, when they posed for photos with the kids in the heat of the July sun. It was big and impressive and it was noble and it was limestone, and that is about all they can remember. It’s all most people need to remember to get through the day. For most Americans, the narrative of World War II is straightforward and simple. There was an unprovoked sneak attack on a U.S. military base by an underhanded enemy. That same underhanded enemy had no regard for human life, often fighting hopelessly to the death because they don’t value life like we do.