Paranoia In Dr Strangelove

Paranoia is the heart of the Cold War. Paranoia is defined as “a mental condition characterized by delusions of...exaggeration,” and further, misperceptions of reality. This form of madness fueled the Cold War and its pop culture, government manipulation/exploitation of citizens, and the loss of humanity during the Cold War Era. Many of these themes are expressed in The Cold War 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb, directed by Stanley Kubrick. Fear and the perception of fear have the potential to eliminate any concept of humanity, further leading to the question of how much of a perceived threat can a culture withstand before its humanity is lost. Humanity One of the main themes within the film is deterrence. It is defined directly by Dr. Strangelove himself as “...the art of producing in the mind of the enemy...the fear to attack” (55:09); it can also be defined as a strategy with the intent of dissuading an adversary or opponent from taking an action not yet started. Dan Lindley explains, “deterrence requires the creation of fear...the enemy must fear that the …show more content…
Strangelove. Throughout the film nothing is mentioned about what the device actually is, which turns the doomsday device into an abstract concept. Within the context of the Cold War this abstract concept can most notably allude to communism, but also the threat of paranoia itself. In the classic sci-fy thriller, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), directed by Don Siegel, the pod people have invaded a small town in California and begun taking over the small town. The pod-people have become a popular metaphor for communism and the perceived threat it poses to American capitalism; furthermore, the pod-people represent conspiracy, infiltration, paranoia and ultimately, totalitarian