Duck and Cover

The "Duck and Cover" video, which originally aired during the 1950's, has become a quite popular viral video in recent years as modern audiences look back and laugh at how such a foolish concept was infused into the minds of those Americans living during the nuclear arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

"If you duck and cover under a desk during an atomic blast you might as well be hiding under firewood" says one YouTube user in a post under the "Duck and Cover" video.

Looking back, it obviously seems futile for one to try to escape the effects of nuclear attack. Radiation and nuclear debris would still cause devastation even if the main blast could be avoided. Knowing these facts begs the question, "Why would the U.S. promote a video such as this one when it should have been clear that ducking and covering would prove useless when faced with a nuclear attack?"

My guess is this: rather than admitting the inevitable and doing nothing, the U.S. government wanted a way to give the illusion of safety, thus boosting morale in school children all across the country while also alleviating the immense amount of anxiety that existed during the time period. Imagine, for example, that the U.S. issued a video opposite of this one, proclaiming, "Persistence is futile. We are all going to die." The hysteria that would've resulted from such a message is easily seen. So if the choice was between a not-so-truthful, but very hopeful message, or a brutally honest and disturbing one, then it was really no choice at all.

Upon review, the "Duck and Cover" video, albeit an outright lie, might have been the best course of action for assuaging U.S. citizens during the uneasy time.