In the last century and a half, technological advancements have transformed American life at an unprecedented rate. The most significant effect these technologies have had on the U.S., and the rest of the world, is an increase of opportunity and influence. While technological achievements are often remembered for their improvements to American and global life, these same innovations have a history of bringing about a proportional amount of detriment to the world, although this comparable shift in scale often goes unnoticed. For instance, where medicines and vaccinations have become more refined and accessible, weaponized diseases and synthetic toxins have seen similar growth in their efficiency and availability. Understanding this technologically
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Nuclear power provides clean, safe, and efficient energy, but a very similar negligence that resulted in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire caused the malfunctioning of a nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan and resulted in the irradiation of entire cities, as opposed to the burning of a single building. Nuclear weapons punctuated the end of World War II with the bombing of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, bringing unforeseen catastrophe and annihilation to an entire culture and acting as a testament to how war would be applied to the same amplifications the rest of the world were subjected to. Paying mind to this shift in magnitude eventually led to the M.A.D. policies of the Cold War, where nations participated in a familiar arms race applied to new nuclear powers, introducing the possibility of obliteration of all life on earth that remains present in every American mind to this …show more content…
However, these same technological advancements have a history of bringing fear, social injustices, and larger economic crashes to the same populace; technology gives Americans the opportunity to help or hurt, and the two are not mutually exclusive. While human nature is very difficult to change, keeping the malicious potential of cutting edge technology is paramount to ensuring a safe and prosperous future for all Americans and the world
Nuclear power provides clean, safe, and efficient energy, but a very similar negligence that resulted in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire caused the malfunctioning of a nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan and resulted in the irradiation of entire cities, as opposed to the burning of a single building. Nuclear weapons punctuated the end of World War II with the bombing of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, bringing unforeseen catastrophe and annihilation to an entire culture and acting as a testament to how war would be applied to the same amplifications the rest of the world were subjected to. Paying mind to this shift in magnitude eventually led to the M.A.D. policies of the Cold War, where nations participated in a familiar arms race applied to new nuclear powers, introducing the possibility of obliteration of all life on earth that remains present in every American mind to this …show more content…
However, these same technological advancements have a history of bringing fear, social injustices, and larger economic crashes to the same populace; technology gives Americans the opportunity to help or hurt, and the two are not mutually exclusive. While human nature is very difficult to change, keeping the malicious potential of cutting edge technology is paramount to ensuring a safe and prosperous future for all Americans and the world