McCarthyism

Photo by Aradic-es

In our class discussion on the Atomic Age, we discussed the changes rendered by atomic weapons. The atom is powerful, and at the end of the Second World War that power was showcased at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Turbulent times followed during the Cold War; fear was read in every newspaper as the Red Scare commenced.

Senator Joseph McCarthy used this fear to catch the public’s attention by falsely accusing hundreds of government workers of communist ties. I found a two hour documentary called “McCarthyism” at the library after class and was amazed by what I saw.

I had heard of McCarthy and his scare tactics before, but seeing it helped me appreciate how the American audience must have felt. I was amazed by McCarthy’s use of a variation of the word “communism” in nearly every sentence. And to any who might oppose his unsubstantiated accusations: you must be a communist.

The documentary focused on Edward R. Murrow’s program “See It Now”. Murrow risked his career to enlighten the American people of McCarthy’s unruly behavior. Murrow had a calm, educated aura with a defiant edge that struck down McCarthy’s unsubstantiated claims.

The documentary concludes with McCarthy’s personal attack of Murrow’s patriotism and alleged communist ties and then a segment with Murrow’s comeback. Poignantly and methodically, Murrow addressed and negated every claim that McCarthy made. I loved seeing education overcome scare tactics. You can watch the 30-minute clip of McCarthy (part 1, 2 and 3) below and hopefully follow it to Murrow’s educated response on March 9, 1954.



Murrow won the public’s approval, and McCarthy’s popularity declined. America never turned to communism. I wish I could say that we’ve really turned to education. I think there’s so much to be scared about today that the public heeds politics very little. We talked about computer security in class with this. I would liken computer security to the knowledge that Murrow had. There are pop-ups all over the internet that introduce harmful agents into one's computer. There are so many scary things that can happen on the web, like identity theft. How do I know this pop-up isn't a malicious McCarthy virus that will steal my identity (and maybe turn me into a communist). We must become digitally educated so that we can avoid the scare tactics and the harmful effects of digital McCarthyism.

Good night, and good luck. (Now I'd like to hear from you. What are your thoughts on how McCarthyism is used in digital culture?)