Boys Beware Film Analysis

Superior Essays
As the Cold War waging between the Soviet Union and the United States heightened, the perceived threat posed by the Communists became known as the Red Scare. The spread of Communism and the possibility of an international nuclear war invaded the minds of Americans with a sense of constant threat. Literature, films, and other products of the warring period reflected these fears of a Communist invasion and an annihilation from atomic warfare. To protect the American culture and values, the nation adopted a nationalistic ambience that was imposed on all the people living in the United States; using social media and other methods of propaganda, the government was able to impose their ideologies onto their citizens. America’s society was constructed …show more content…
Instead, they were taught to see it as pedophilia. In the film “Boys Beware”, which focused specifically on young boys and the dangers of strange men, homosexuality was shown as a sickness that was not visible, like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious; it was a sickness of the mind (Boys Beware). Using these beliefs, the government could protect the children from catching this “illness” and simultaneously protect their founding ideals. In this way, children would also grow up to appreciate anti-Communism and realize how much better an American society fared compared to that of another country. With education paired with short films, it served as a propaganda tool by focusing on American ideologies of freedom and democracy, and by presenting the Soviet Union as the enemy who held opposing viewpoints like …show more content…
For example, children were advised on how to protect themselves during nuclear threats. Based on the name of the short film, “Duck and Cover,” the younger generation were educated on how to react to and protect themselves from nuclear attacks by ducking and covering (Duck and Cover). Using atomic warfare as a method to emanate fear, government officials were able to show how violent and destructive Communist countries could be, while enforcing American values into children as a way to promise safety and

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