I saw this film as a kid - The 80s Film That Scared 100 Million Americans In A Single Television Night! - Past America

And it terrified the hell out of me. I am posting it below. Please take the time to watch it. I will add some additional thoughts below it.



You are a young american kid, living in an area of the country with a LOT of military and military/industrial facilities. I'm talk about St. Louis, Missouri. My family lived close to McDonnell-Douglas and the US Army Ammunition plant. Scott Air Force base was not too far down the road across the river. With various other things in and around the St. Louis area, I grew up in what would be considered a MAJOR target, in the event of a nuclear attack, by the Soviet Union.

As I was growing up, there were several times of heightened "Concern" when my school would have sudden "Tornado" drills. In JANUARY. Normal tornado season in the midwest was late April to early October. NOT January. NOT December. Usually they would occur in June, July or August. I remember when there was an accidental launch of a Nike Missile in the 70's that had all of the "Tornado" sirens going off and people rushing to their basements. Yes we had Nike Missiles surround the St. Louis area. If you don't know what a Nike Missile is, click the following link: Nike Hercules.

So I grew up living under the CONSTANT fear of nuclear war. And it wasn't just me. MILLIONS of American's did. Our parents grew up during World War II and the Korean War, we grew up during Vietnam War. We had television, and live atrocities being beamed directly into our living rooms by the media. I remember as a kid, I think I was 4 or 5 years old, watching the news as they showed bodies burned beyond all recognition by napalm, dropped by a US jet in I think late 1972 early 1973. Going to school, like I said we had "Tornado" drills. We knew what they really were, they were NOT for "Tornado's".

But for many of us, up until the Soviet Union Collapsed in 1991, we were under the constant real threat of possible nuclear annihilation. And we didn't have the support systems that kids have today. We are Generation X, the generation that were told to stop crying or we would be given a reason to cry. We were to be seen and not heard. And usually they didn't even want to see us, unless it was to make sure we weren't doing something that would inconvenience or embarrass our parents.

We were expected to get up in the morning and out to school by ourselves.  Do all of our assigned schoolwork and chores at home, feed ourselves and our siblings without bothering our parents.  And to do it all quietly.  So as to not disturb any adults.

If you messed up, you could get the back of hand, a full on slap, a belt, a switch, an electrical cord, a board, fly swatter, wire hanger, leather strop, closed fist, or anything that came easily to hand.  Like a hot spatula or a wooden spoon.

All while living under the possibility, that some idiot politician somewhere may take it into his head to push a button, and to end the world.

And the youth of today say we are being overly dramatic, and socialism and communism are good, if only they were tried hard enough.  Until they have lived under the threat of nuclear war, day in day out for over 20 years, they need to shut up.  Because I, and many others of my generation are getting very tired of their crap.