"Reflection on the Atomic Bomb"

Gertrude Stein offers a different reading of atomic bombing in her work, "The Reflection of the Atomic Bomb". Rather than sensationalizing with the array of representations of atomic bombing circulating during the time, she expressed her disinterest in the atomic bomb. She explains how if you do not buy into the fear and sensationalizing that occured with atomic bombing, you are able to complicate and question the political use of fear and its abiltity to allow events like atomic bombing to saturate every aspect of life. She explains her disinterests with representations of atomic bombing: "I am not so scared, there is so much to be scared of so what is the use of bothering to be scared, and if you are not scared the atomic bomb is not interesting". She works at showing the debilitating effects of fear and its ability to limit the actions and engage of individuals with the object of fear.

Gertrude Stein seems to be engaging with the idea that fear is used as a tool in order to reach political aim, but also acts as a way of distancing individuals from dealing with events and objects associated with fear in multi-faceted ways. The scared citizen has survival in the front of  their mind and is more susceptible to manipulation. The mindset of fear leaves little space for logic and questioning different aspects of policy. Gertrudes Stein's recognition of fear as a key aspect that makes atomic bombing interesting, followed by her refusal to engage with atomic bombing in a "scared" manner, takes away some of the power of fear. This restructuring of the way that we deal with powerful subjects allows for more space of inquiry.