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From: cas@cvl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The Day After - (nf)
Message-ID: <762@cvl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Nov-83 15:18:37 EST
Article-I.D.: cvl.762
Posted: Wed Nov 23 15:18:37 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Nov-83 05:50:02 EST
References: <2527@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Md. Computer Vision Lab
Lines: 33

>  #R:rlgvax:-140500:hp-pcd:17400035:000:249
>  hp-pcd!courtney    Nov 17 09:09:00 1983
>  
>  If there was ever a good reason for hysteria, the threat of nuclear war is it.
>
>  Your response to bury your head is the sand (ie. watch Masterpiece Theatre)
>  is sympomatic of your unwillingness to confront the problem and take action
>  to deal with it.

Since I mentioned Masterpiece Theatre in conjunction with
that great-wonderful-all-important production "The Day After", I presume
this piece of unsigned drivel is directed at me.

It seems to me that implied in this message is a belief that watching
the show has something to do with "confront[ing] the problem and
take[ing] action to deal with it".  I did actually see the first hour,
and last half-hour of the show.  I didn't learn anything I didn't
already "know" about the results of nuclear war, and from what I read here,
the missing hour wouldn't have told me any more.  In fact, what I would
expect to happen, and the causes, are more in line with the current
"wisdom of the experts" then the movie.

I think what "The Day After" best demonstrates is the ability of ABC
to reap the benefits of a controversial subject (how much control you
think they had over generating all the free publicity they got depends,
I suppose, over how paranoid you are).  There have been much more
informative, scientific and/or news oriented shows on television treating
this issue in the past.  Those I am more interested in.  I think a lot
of people have swollowed what is essentially an advertising line about
the importance of this movie.  If ABC really thought it was so important,
there would have been no commercials during the show.

		Cliff Shaffer
		{seismo,we13,mcnc}!rlgvax!cvl!cas