Soapbox; 113; Arms Race

Do do so boxes made possible by grants from Wilbraham and Munson Academy the eastern Educational Network program Fund and the Polaroid foundation. Anyone who would want to kill that many people has got to be crazy. It's not worth living. This will just be within two miles of where the bomb hit both of us and so you know any other country it says are going to agree to build Oh isn't this really going to do it was top missile so well that they don't see our country as what it is at all that we don't see those what do you know it's very lethal.

Well my name is Jerry Rigby and welcome the soapbox. This week's program deals with the topic of nuclear weapons. In a moment we're going to be talking with eight high school students here in our studio. But first let's go out on location. What other young people have to say about the control and use of nuclear weapons. I think that nuclear war is a scary subjects to think about but I don't like to worry about it until

the time comes when we're going to have one of them that I don't like to think about it because I think it's a scary subject. I believe it will happen someday eventually. And I feel that it's just a matter of time in waiting for it. But I mean it doesn't frighten me because when it comes it will be done with and I'm not for you know nuclear fall you know fallout shelters. It will come in and it will be the most likely probably I'll be alive. Anyone who would want to kill that many people has got to be crazy I think anyone who the person who invented the nuclear weapon that can kill that many people should have been put in Siloam I think he must have been saying how would anyone want to kill that many people. Who cares. There's no there's no way we're going to do that. The point being that there's no way I figure that I can survive a nuclear war. And I worry about it. But until it happens you know something I live with this month changed my life because in the end it

you know if you're alive it won't make any difference because there won't be any food left. You know where to start crap again. And also dying within six months all stores will be used up. It's not worth living. It will just be within two miles of where the bomb hits. Sometimes it's hard not to lose hope. I mean you wonder why they should apply to a college you should worry about little things like grading papers compared to the possibility of the world being destroyed. It's scary. All right so what do we do right now. It's gone real far I don't know what we can do you think we can do it. You've got people that say Stop it. People say use it as a deterrent. But they both both want no nuclear war they don't want nuclear war they're both striving for the same goal. But no one can agree on what we're doing. It's feels like I we don't have any effect of what's happening. We can't I mean you can the best thing you can do is write a letter to your congressman or something like that and just hope that they'll listen and you know one congressman does speak up. He might. All the other congressmen could speak up against him.

Listen I know I know. I really I don't think they're listening to us. Whatever we think doesn't matter. We're going to be voters soon and then will possibly be elected officials. But we can do is try again to try to improve the world situation so that nuclear weapons would never need to be used the world tensions. If we can cut those down between the United States and the Soviet Union and other countries then we shouldn't have to worry about the nuclear weapons. You might say that the situation we're in now with the threat of nuclear wars is like the world today of reckoning. It's like the humanity's choice if they want to go on if they want to end it all right now if we're intelligent enough so that we can and all of us right now get rid of the nuclear wars nuclear weapons for nuclear wars. We could go on but if we don't we will be destroyed and it will be the end. All right a lot of reaction in here to some of those comments Gina you know when you react when I think Beazley said that nobody wants a nuclear war.

I mean that's everybody's opinion. But people have to take off the rose colored glasses they have to look at reality in black and white. They have to realize that we can't go backwards we have to go forward and forward is dealing with nuclear weapons and having one ok response yet really it's a fact of life you do have to do it you can't say disarm and you can't just make it go away you can't hope that human then human nature is going to be such that there's not going to be any animosity there's not going to get it to a nation you have to have enough maturity to restrain ourselves. If anything I don't think it's going to be Russia or America I think it's going to be a very extreme terrorist group a little middle ground country where they have little Creigh Deeds ruling nothing's going to trigger aka nuclear war. OK I mean I'm not going to win it's not just the America's top in your lifetime so I mean it's not just the kind of wars that have been for the past nine oh great yes on a safe amount of they get it. Well Gina how can you say you're talking about having nuclear weapons to stop a nuclear war. No I'm going to stop me for I'm just saying that we have to compete with every other country in this

world we can't be weak. America's a strong country Americans have to be strong or to be strong now you have to have nuclear weapons but let me not warn me that means look at this realistically if we gave the American some time statistics that said that Russia had eight times as many nuclear weapons as us or 20 times America would panic and they'd lead Would you may think yes I'm just as English as woman. That's generous you know but you know we're already out but not to destroy the world over about 50 times already so why build more no kind of evidence I don't think two men one has 20 guns and one has one gun one gun can kill a man with a woman 20 go you're like OK OK let's get more perspective. Don't you just want to have a chemical right now but like I said I think it's kind of dumb how we have all these nuclear missiles and we're not going to use them all. I mean they spend all this money towards defense what between 60 and 80 percent towards offense and the rest goes to like education so security and that's a but that's beside the point. But I'm trying to say is that we already have enough weapons.

OK but what I'm saying I can missing the point as far as OK we don't need any more quantity of weapons. What we need is quality technological sophistication has to be advanced and that's what the money is going into to five different outlets. OK. To make. OK but what about efficiency example why you know. Ok why kayo OK. I think China Terry me and I mean that it's not. That's not on the level that they're on. OK. Their main goal. I believe that most military ministers to stay you know at the same level if not not is not the same a step above the next guy. OK I love you Jonathan get another me. I mean you know it's a military attitude that is a military man's attitude so we're professional and it's exactly what you've got to understand that that professional attitude has you know when you're done he's going to have to kill people and that's actually I mean you know you can't just kill mentions amounts of people I know you can look at this list of precious looking at your preview believe though I mean that in your lifetime a nuclear war can happen yet the suicide how long it would have civility but I

think I'm more sanguine I think human are I think people are a little more intelligent and to blow each other right I don't think. Right here you are John again let's give you a little more hopeful and I think if anything I don't think it's going to be the Soviet Union the United States is going to have this pounding war is going to be some terrorist or a third world nation which who are going to drag us in and I think that's what the fee's movement should understand that we're trying to you know where that is where time will you Robert let's take Mosul know OK see you talking about who's going to blow each other up. I was watching this one show like dealing with people want to rethink the microchips in the computer. A hundred sixty five times that one day thinking that Russia was launching a nuclear attack. We have another same argument yet another saying let us come back and I have to spend muzzle was your little secret our weapons were trying to find better ways. It's not so much you want to build more power you want to read and I want to know you know why were they able to grow attack ourselves because face it we can't how do you ever want to

even the after effect is just going to totally has an ocean spray area that we have. Why do you give me a second here. We will be listening and then we'll get most response if we have the weapons and they have the weapons we vote if we both threaten each other less likely to go walking all over each other or one person getting better we just have to have some sort of equality so we can get a fairly level headed and you believe that is controlling the problem. But by being able to balance out it's one way to control. Do you think that Russia is going to let us be equal with her. I'm not I'm sorry how there's no way there can be a bilateral world. Their brains. I don't think there's not no reason I like because Russia in the aggregate for an afterlife so much ok. China must respond with most right out of you. I want you to respond to what you're saying about the fact of the building more and more of the right creates a danger which could literally destroy the world. What I mean with fire when you want to do it with the thing is we have no you know it's

almost a sophisticated equipment. OK they've got guys with all the sophisticated equipment and it's getting so sophisticated that they're making mistakes every day. They don't even know how to run it they've been given just got very very real it be OK or if it's too sophisticated for the guards and is going to kill him does that scare us with it. Oh yeah I did that say All right well it's not because I'm going to get what I say but I love hearing Greg and I say to people just you're taking that you're taking an optimistic view of human nature. You're saying you're so you say you're being pessimistic and you say you're not going to trust them. But you're saying that since they'll eventually since they don't have the goodness in their nature to be honest with us and to disarm us so I let you do that then we need just as many weapons as they do to have the thing the thing is you know you're saying you think Russia will let us have talk to us we're ahead of them are we are not having our money your upload you know how do you write a letter or answer you asked a question or answer good even now is

that from the propaganda you read. Do you believe in the U.S. Defense Department that I make you mad. Still you can always said we had more weapons but I think way well okay that's the part. OK let's let warheads young human right you talk about the number warheads but the last statement I heard was that the United States might be equal to Russia might have slightly ahead but when you look at the number of conventional forces that NATO pact and the Warsaw Pact Have you need nuclear weapons to offset it because the Warsaw Pact barring numbers how much conventional weapons that the need of half that. OK I don't know I don't want you to get into I don't want to get into the details here in terms of like the beyond a certain factor and I could be able to cover that Miss program but but you're on your basic belief is that it has to be balanced. Yeah and just as the balance in this it does serve as a deterrence. OK all right minus He has worked for 40 years and I think it will continue to work and I realize having a nuclear weapon is just a rather insane stupid having these weapons which are going to kill millions of people I want but we have to have and we have to learn to deal with it OK.

Really I mean it's on an emotional level though. This is scary and you know I mean you think that's when you know I have my own line drive it now of course at this very moment I can tell you like an hour from now I'm not going to be thinking about Nuclear Warrior and you know are you worried about. So you can it's out of your hands. Why worry about the decisions of other people out of your head should be are excited and affection in your last paragraph right. It shouldn't be out of your hands so you've got OK. Differing dimensions given sentence. It shouldn't be out of our hands that's one of the things that this nuclear freeze is about they're trying to tell their people are trying to make people 800000 in New York are trying to make a statement that we don't like nuclear weapons. We think they should be gone and rego saying well there Reagan says well the nuclear freeze program is run by the Russians. I mean you talk to him again Jane you are going to if you can find this kind of logic about it if this is such a democracy why does why don't why don't the government why doesn't

the government listen to the people as people who are feeling emotions they are scared but you know I understand how you feel if Russia had nuclear weapons and we don't. You said this is out of our hands if we were to might not fly into those environments. Oh I'm sorry. Well this is not out of our hands we are democracy. We can't stand and stand for something that we strongly believe that nuclear freeze is what I believe in because I think I know we are weak. We value creatures a phrase to crow about what it's an agreement between Russia and the natural Fraser by law both although I thought it was a no. It had been I wasn't wrong well you know OK I'm going to stop. You can only have they you might have phrases just to totally freeze it stop it. Example I think that realistically it's impossible that I can win you back after you have got to be on nuclear weapons are you talking a freeze of other areas like the bombers and all the launchers are you talking about do you want answered rather than let her answer. Reason for the nuclear weapon so that so that the superpowers can sit down and rationally talk about instead of saying whoa I've got 20 20 bonds.

How many do you have. Are 25 all you have to go down to the to the plant and make five more. It's insane it's insane when they can be using that money for education if using that money for scholarships using that money for the Olympics using that money and one of us can do all the things. Let's take a look. Plus we calm down a little bit and listen to some of the comments during the week we recorded some earlier earlier other young people and some of their feelings about the reality of a nuclear freeze or reduction and what we can do about the situation that we're talking about here. All right so when we look at the monitor we listen to these comments when we come back we'll talk more about what we can do. OK. OK what do you think action direction is any other country is going to build. It's just a place of people.

There's always going to be the threat. No matter what you know we wipe out nuclear weapons. Someone builds more weapons maybe not nuclear weapons maybe more destructive weapons. I just don't think you can do anything about it. All right. We can trust the Russians in terms of arms reduction but I don't think they can trust us either I would trust. I don't trust my own government. Neither country would actually do what they always say they're going to do but still there's always you don't you never know what the CIA and the KGB are doing they can always do it behind everyone's back and still do it. I'm sure I'm sure they will too. We as the only country possessed the power and the technology to make the bomb we offer it at that point to disarm and the Soviet Union would not do it and I think that tells you something about the fact that we have the technology we could have taken over the world at that point the Soviet Union did not want to disarm I think that tells you something about their motivation. I'm not totally pro but I feel that we should not fall behind the Soviet Union if not in numbers than in. We should make up for in technology

for example a lot of our weapons are far more accurate than their weapons and so that even if we don't have as many missiles as they do we should make what we have more accurate so we at least stay in the race. Everybody says nuclear war start between Russia and the West I don't think so. World nation will start it and when it happens it's just there can't do anything about it. Things need to stop but I don't think nuclear freeze is the answer I think that it has to do with relations between the countries. I think that we have to have a better understanding of Russia and they have to be better standing up for us. I think that we're just so we're so polar and in our thinking that. I don't see how we can expect to try to get along with them or not understand if they would have been or not. If we don't understand them. Rush is not afraid to go and start a nuclear war. Be reasonable they don't want to. They want what they want to do is take over the world they don't want to blow it up. That's the whole goal is to take over the world have it run under communism and I was going to blow it up.

I don't see our country as what it is it's very one sided and our countries are totally different. What they would think. And so we depict the Russian people have nothing to do with the government as you know. Bad guys are and they see the same way and so do you know everything they can to prevent us from gaining power and we just have to come by understanding each other I think we overcome this thing. All right that created even even more reaction some of those comments again. Go ahead yeah. I think there can be a verifiable freeze I mean who's going to be going to Russia and who's going to check if they're complying to the agreement and who's not coming to the United States and that I don't think to so you know even the United Nations to come in. I mean I believe they tried instituting some kind of verifiable treaties like for South one south too and they won't let anyone come in and I don't understand how these people are so after a mistake to think that the

Soviet Union. I'm going to let you know he's going to let them in. OK fair enough. Welcome feasibly trust a government how can you live in harmony with a government whose idea was ideal. They say that your Communism cannot exist so long as capitalism does in the same world. So that means in order for them to reach the total goal we have to be destroyed. I mean how can how can we feasibly trust I think I see things like that. All right let's take some of our wants I was going to die like the Soviets are a known liar. OK you know what I mean though right. But in the. Yeah that's true but I mean in the general papers like a Soviet newspaper wrote all that stuff about us and you know the American newspaper will make fun of of the Soviet Union calling him socialist and communist which they aren't at all and but are trying to make a point here. Yes you know I mean you're trying to get trying to get a get in the area that they can't be trusted so I think it's human nature that another person cannot trust another person you know and if you get an outside person

if you tells you what he's doing then he's going to think you're bad because he's going to make it sound like you're bad and then if I think and I say we got we have three pessimistic thing that last time around. But the thing of trust you said you're all saying we can't trust the Russians because we knew you at least you presented a more two sided view of it. They can't TRUST us either. Did you know that the United States invaded Russia after World War One during the Marxist revolution the United States and five thousand men into Russia to support is our ok to look at large may have a reason to trust us if we're going to do that and if you're not mining started to read I was there any time soon you seem to have got out of that. Let's get Gina you know that's where I got you. You're so so idealistic and whenever I'm not making any kind of embargo no we're not and I was kind of our allies whenever we make an embargo. They sent things over there they break our laws they won't even go if we can't trust our allies how can we trust right OK now therefore what do we do and I think it's the best.

Let's let's go back to we have months and you are like you know people think oh they can't be in the camp in the freeze. Well I have been trying to say we have enough already why build more nice American Standard. All right all right we're going to have all of you saying yes I can understand but I don't think I think you're being idealistic when you think that the whole world can make can come together and agree on a freeze if you want to say the United States should freeze now. Then you're being semi realistic if you want to say start reducing then you're way out here. All right sad because it just. Good job. All right. Yeah right there. And as he was about most uninsured most industry do you think you were making a point. We have enough. And then this. It's pointless to go on. Yeah. OK granted. OK fine. You can make your new modern technology more efficient in killing people but you've still got those in the car you have sitting over there John. I'm all right. Yeah I think even you reducing my lust about you're going to have the knowledge of how to build those weapons. So that's just as dangerous and I think the best thing between what the Soviet Union the

United States should be doing trying to understand each other and trying to build a stable relationship. Actually I would leave OK here. OK Kerry and you aren't best friends. OK. We used to hate China and now we're best friends of China. And we I wanted science to Harrison so your listeners matter OK. Yeah I think I think I agree I totally agree with this but people are people. You know I look at it. I mean I'm sure there are a lot of Russians that feel the way we do both nuclear arms except maybe the we can't speak about it. But when you come right down to people or people they want the same thing. They want to live. They want to do certain they want this certain rights and they want to certain things their way. And yeah there are definitely being are you know I can't think of a word like OK. Correct. But most are saying. You're saying that if you want to talk about reduction then you're not being idealistic. I don't think reductions is a good idea or not. OK. Why why why why do we need more than enough weapons to destroy the world more than once. I told you that

before. United States presidents find out. That we're at the bottom of the list of all these other little countries to have more riots or not have an idea that you know that he's having a hard time understanding that we gave all those little countries the missiles I mean their capitalistic nation again I can't get much out of him right out of my life. So it's like you're not giving people you're giving people weapons right. Like I'm going to get one but I don't even know a gun and you have put it in my hands it and I'm going to get you get it you have come down to one of our major. That person can shoot me with that gun that is ridiculous and you to keep talking about being realistic. OK I want to get Jane hardly let other countries just showing up when I have my business. OK you guys get to listen to each other a little better right you gotta listen to each other. All right stopping homework and yelling I mean you know not to give a fuck and effective at that yelling is also something probably right. OK but that's alright you struggle struggle with it. Let's do a bit more a little more optimistic you have different views and you try to understand it's a stigma a lot of it is a stigma.

And until we can sit down until we can have an understanding and more communication but I think nuclear freeze is possible we are human if we can send a man up on the moon then we can have the two people sit across from a total cure than say you can't have them in bold. OK a lot of this is not a cold. James just look again this is not a cold. This is a world problem. It's done and where I thought they were neither has the world's problems. OK you should be concerned about it we should have a nuclear freeze you know Einstein Second you haven't you listen to me I'm sorry. There are literally a Finnish Einstein said he doesn't know how World War 3 is going to be fought but he knows World War 4 it's going to be fought with sticks and stones. So what does that tell you. OK guy invented it he's the one who said it was you know I mean what I'm saying and we're going to illustrate that I'm straight as a moderate good guy invented it. Who made the theory for its invention is saying to you you wish he did.

If you didn't somebody else well OK well we are showing it time. Let me let me just say that I think are you people are you tall are you. Do you think we're talking enough as teenagers about the concern are they concerned about what's happening are we talking in my school and in my school a friend of mine started a group called Stop students and teachers students teachers organization to to prevent nuclear war. It's a nuclear awareness club and I think it's done a lot of good because it has been telling us what will happen it's not a club that says don't OK we want nuclear freeze you better be nuclear free it's a club to make you aware of the consequences and the consequences is what we have to be aware of. We don't want to you know 50 years from now. No no we don't have we don't have this we don't have that because the radiation has eaten up everything. We we're not going to live because we have cancer we have an breathable air because of oh in 1985 some person decided to press the panic button. OK.

To become aware that's that's a nice program but as far as actually in my school no I mean thinks about such things just so and but that if you just go around with the headship route I want to talk about. Nuclear weapons now move the day after and one girl who aren't just blurts in something she goes we actually have nuclear weapons ready to go and I was just banging my head and I can't believe I mean if you're a boy at least what I observe in my school they are so apathetic It makes me sick. Why work when there's no school and then you know why I think they should be concerned they should look into what is happening they shouldn't just it's like they're being like you know we're like zombies handing the power to those men. They should get involved they should be eligible and it was OK. Karen's all about I think a lot of teenagers feel this way. Personally I do it various points. I just I don't shut it out of my mind I know it's there none of the consequences are very well aware that that but I feel I truly feel there is unless I put my life into it. I can't deal I can't do anything about the war. I am going to go out and I mean you have warrants. I am going to live once I don't believe in heaven. I'm going to live want to have good time I'm not going to be

concerned about nuclear war it's totally immoral everything about it is immoral and I'm going to do with it that way. OK and I got there in that in an hour you could be dead. No you're not making me mad I'm mad. That might reflect that you were referring to just anyone. OK it might reflect a little bit about you know everybody a little a little bit about your frustrations in being able to do anything about it. OK thanks. Thanks for sharing your views that I talk with but but we struggle with it. Oh and thank you for watching at home. If you have any comments or reaction. Please write to us here at soapbox would like to know how you feel. See you next week for another segment of subplots. This is good or shoebox is made possible by grants from Wilbraham in Munchen

Academy the eastern Educational Network program Fund and the Polaroid foundation. Good at. Oh. Anyone who would want to kill that many people has got to be crazy. It's not worth living. This will just be within two miles of where the bong hits. Both of us and so you know any other country it says are going to agree to a bill down as he is really going to do it with style of Messel So although I don't see our country as what it is that although we don't hear that

one very one sided. Young people talk about nuclear weapons.