Annihilation or Assmimilation

'What’s it to be?’ enquired Janno. ‘ Oppenheimer or Barbie? Which one shall we go to?’

'Annihilation or Assimilation’, said Johno.

'Assimilation – how so?’

'The genius of Mattel,’ he replied. ‘They’ve taken what in the past was the embodiment of the perfect Caucasian, fantasy figure doll, best known for reinforcing conventional stereotypes of women, and assimilated all the present-day cultural complexities, to deliver a candy-coloured feminist; culminating in Barbie the movie. Brilliant!

'And speaking of Pinkos, coincidentally it’s one of the key themes of the Oppenheimer film. It was a pejorative term used in the US to describe a person regarded as being strongly sympathetic, affectionate, or supportive of communism; though not necessarily a member of the Reds, the Communist Party.

'You wonder how many lives were ruined or destroyed by being placed on Black Lists as a result of the activities of the House Un-American Committee (HUAC), which operated, unbelievably, up to 1975!’ said Janno.

'A classic example was the brilliant scriptwriter Dalton Trumbo who was black-listed and had to write under various pseudonyms for years, in order to remain working,’ said Johno. ‘It was only through the bravery and support of Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger, revealing he had been the writer for Spartacus, that the power of the HUAC was finally overturned.

'From Trumbo to Trump. If he gets re-elected, those times may well return,’ he continued. ‘Are you an American Patriot? Or, are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Democratic Party?’

'So, returning to Oppenheimer, was the invention of the Atomic bomb one of mankind’s greatest achievements,’ said Alphy provocatively.

'Scientifically, probably, morally? Now that’s the dilemma,’ said Johno. ‘The development and deployment of nuclear weapons was a two-edged sword. Albert Einstein, stated the Nazi threat cannot successfully be combated by moral means; it can be met only by organised might. He therefore recommended to President Roosevelt that the US needed to develop the bomb before the Nazis did. How ironic that a German Jew, who was forced to leave by Nazi antisemitic polices, thereby Hitler inadvertently creating his own potential FrankEinstein. So we have to ask, what sort of dystopian world would we now have, if the Nazis had won, by successfully developing and deploying atomic bombs before the allies? On the other hand, Nazi Germany had already been defeated before the finalisation of the Manhattan Project, and the development of the atomic bomb by the US.

'Clearly, this development is one of the most profound events in human history. To quote what apparently ran through Oppenheimer’s mind when he saw the first atomic detonation, Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.

Rightly or wrongly, it was used to defeat Japan and/or deliver a tangible warning to Soviet Russia, and as a result, the Ghoulish Genie is out of the bottle, never to return,’ ended Johno.

Alphy couldn’t help himself. ‘Yes, and Homo-Sapiens have clearly demonstrated how incredibly advanced they are, when it comes to sociopolitical sophistication and the avoidance of war.’

’Yes,’ replied Johno, ‘as perfectly illustrated with the current Fission Frenzied Trifecta of: RasPutin, Krazy Kim, plus the US-China tensions over Taiwan. The odds of nuclear annihilation have probably never been higher since the Cuban crisis.’

'On a more cheerful note, wasn’t it great to see the Matildas getting through to the final round of 16 in the Women’s World Cup. And with an amazing four nil win against Canada.’ said Janno.

'After their defeat by Nigeria, had they lost again, the Matilda’s Manager Tony Gustavsson would have moved from being a Savvy Swede to a Has Bean,’ said Alphy, trying to impress with his Sap punning.

'And what about Sam Kerr? There hasn’t been so much attention on a Calf since the Royal Agricultural Show,’ said Janno, following Alphy down the punning path.

'Isn’t it great to see an event that unites the world,’ Janno continued. ‘It is estimated that over 2 billion people, or close to a quarter of the world’s population, will be tuning in to watch the matches.’

From sporting unification to atomic annihilation, was this the paradoxical path that inevitably awaited the Saps, wondered Alphy