Post by Jason Thompson on Mar 15, 2007 11:53:58 GMT -4
In the past few years I've read some great books about Apollo, and one thing has struck me and in some ways annoys me. I find the level of pride expressed in the project inherently contradictory and in some cases misplaced. Almost in the same breath, people are one moment praising Apollo as a great achievement for mankind, the next as a great American triumph. I've read comments within and about books that describe it as a great example of American excellence, apparently overlooking the huge contribution made by non-Americans to the project. During the Apollo 11 moonwalk President Nixon said 'all the peoples of the world are truly one' even while the astronauts stood and saluted the US flag planted so as to make it ostentatiously clear it was an American achievement. Of course, that was little more than hyperbole, because all the peoples of the world were not one even at the time: a few nations suppressed the news, and even in the US there were voices crying out about the money being wasted.
In my more cynical moments I end up reading it as 'look, isn't this a great achievement for the whole world (but of course it's our achievement really, we just don't want everyone else to feel bad about it)'.
Sorry, rant over. Apollo was a great achievement. I just find it irritating that people can in one and the same breath claim both national and global pride.
In my more cynical moments I end up reading it as 'look, isn't this a great achievement for the whole world (but of course it's our achievement really, we just don't want everyone else to feel bad about it)'.
Sorry, rant over. Apollo was a great achievement. I just find it irritating that people can in one and the same breath claim both national and global pride.
