Analysis Of Roger Launius's 'Managing The Unmanageable'

The idea that money was being improperly spent was a view that people had on both the arms and space race. The government tried to convince and even distract Americans into believing that all the money they were spending was worth it in order to make sure they could continue to stay ahead of the Soviets. The opinion specifically about the spending on more nuclear weapons was centered around the idea that the government was essentially spending not spending money to help the sick and hungry, but rather create weapons that will only amount to more sick and hungry people. Although the space race was not causing any harm, it was still money spent that was unnecessary, and could be beneficial to others. Roger Launius’s article “Managing the Unmanageable:

He addresses all of the people that are hungry, naked, as well as the large amount of babies that “are suffering from malnutrition”, all of whom are hopeless without help. There are no efforts to help all of the homeless and sick, nor is there any improvement in the economy, creating people to eventually become hysterical and overwhelmed with sadness. The song also provides the image of everyone reaching the point of constantly fearing death. The impact of this song was great because it does not talk its way around the subject, but list all of the other possibilities for where government spending could be improving. The song also has the people “pleading” because they have no type of power to make this change on their own. The pressure is strictly put on the government because they are the ones in control. Songs about how there should have been a refocusing of spending were still being written about years postwar, showing how it was a very significant

No one can argue that there was not positive aspects of the money that was spent on furthering the science and technology of the Cold War, but it is hard to imagine situations similar to the lyrics in both songs and not wonder if there was more that could have been done. The opinion that the government was more worried about being superior to the Soviet Union than helping its own citizens was had by many during this time. Another theme present in music during the Cold War that addressed both nuclear and space science and technology was the conspiracy theories tied to both. Much of this was caused by the overwhelming amount of secrecy that defined the Cold