(reprise) RACISM IS AN ATOMIC BOMB

Introduction: Racism Is An Atomic Bomb
Racism is an Atomic Bomb. It may sound strange, but it really is. To put it in simpler terms, the concept of racism cam be comprehended better in comparison with atomic bombs. Although racism or racial discrimination is grave issue, the discussion over it has been apt to end up in ambiguous and slippery dispute. This is because 'racism' is in fact an idea, which has no certain (visible) form. Therefore, atomic bombs are very proper example to use in order to explain and define the racism. They have various features in common, not only that both have somewhat negative image. For example, they have similar history of invention and misusage, and both still exist on this earth, scattering fear, retaining some potentianl of next tragedy. When focusing on their similarities which racism and anatomic bombs share some might even say that they are almost the same things. As the things human beings should not have made, racism and an atomic bomb share so many features; in particular, the histories, and their influence.


Birth and Growth
The first common aspect is their histories. Both racism and an atomic bomb have scholars/scientists' interest as mothers, and political distortion and runaway as fathers. Racism began with the anthropologists' trial to find certain groups in human beings. Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist in 17th century, divided all humans into 4 groups, though, his classification were only "geographical"(Gould 131), contained no hierarchical view. Yet, his follower, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach invented that fifth group and the word "Caucasian"(Gould 129), based on his unconscious bias that the white people are superior to others, means top of the hierarchy. Here, distinguishing people came to mean discriminating people.

As for atomic bombs, there cannot be seen any evil intention in the work of Marie Curie. However, the radiation she discovered attracted many scientists; for example, Albert Einstein who participated in the Manhattan Project, Edward Teller who tried to make a hydrogen bomb, and J. Robbert Oppenheimer who finally succeeded in completing the first atomic bomb. Thus, in the July of 1945, the first bomb named "Trinity" was dropped in New Mexico, for the experiment.

On atomic bombs, there is a difficult discussion about the moral and responsibility of the scientists who took part in making them, because they kept working while knowing that they were arms. Therefore, it cannot be avoided that those scientists could be blamed for their work, yet, even the scientists themselves did not know what strong power the bombs would have. Thus, there are quite a few scientists who strongly regret that they have made. For example, being shocked to realize what he had done, Einstein devoted the rest of his life to the anti-atomic bomb movement, after the bombing. Bernard. T. Felt, one of the members of the Manhattan Project, said that he was shocked to know of the second bombing in Nagasaki. For him, the first bombing was a kind of "good" news, because it mean that he achieved the goal of his study as a scientist. Yet, the second bombing had a different meaning: it showed him and other scientists that the bombs had left the hands of them and fallen into the hands of the army. Bernard also says, "in general, once scientists and technical experts agree to participate in a project which they have no right of management, they become mere 'tools', whatever opinion they might individually have.... This is very dangerous."

The discoveries of the racial classification by Linnaeus, and radiation themselves were harmless. Even the hierarchical human groupings and the atomic bombs could be innocent; if one insists that they were mere results of scholars' pure interest or they just did what they were told to do. However, those scholars' biggest mistake was that they were not aware enough of the influences which their studies would bring to the world, although they may not be capable of taking responsibility for the results. Stephen J. Gould comments, "ideas have consequences"(134), and they did. Bombs are arms, whether they were made on direct purpose to kill people or mere products of scientists' curiosity. Likewise, racial groupings had enough possibility to be misused to do certain people harm, in other words, as arms. Both of them were born innocent, then grew to be arms, or to be much more dangerous than their originators' expectation.


Mass Killing In The War
Their second common point is that both racism and atomic bombs were actually used on a large scale to take millions of lives during the World War 2.

The Holocaust---genocide of Jews by Nazis--- and the bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki are famous tragedies. Needless to say, the former is a very example that shows racism, an idea, could be horrible, deadly weapon which killed approximately 6,000,000 Jews (Lamzman 6). The latter tragedy proved that arms were arms. During 1945, about 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima, and 60,000 in Nagasaki. In addition, more than 100,000 people additional people died by 1996 because of the bombs' radiation (Fujinaga 202). In both Holocaust and bombings, it was no the scientists themselves who willingly decided to use the results of their studies for the war. On the contrary, the authorities at that time used those ideas. In fact, Truman said to one of his staff that what Oppenheimer did was only to make bombs, and it was Truman himself who exploded them. Again, Gould's words hit home very ironically. Ideas have consequences. Indeed.


Repentance By Human
Thus the third similarity appears. The damage and shock that racism and the atomic bombs brought to the world---human, environment, and history--- were so enormous that people decided not to repeat the same, terrible mistakes. As outcomes of their solution, some international laws and declaration were formed. For instance, PTBT(partial test-ban treaty) in 1968, START(strategic arms reduction treaty) 1, 2 in 1991 and 1993, and CTBT(comprehensive test-ban treaty) were ratified by nations. For the racial and other discriminations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and other international human rights treaties were declared by the United Nations.


Invisible Influence Of Visible Facts
The fourth common feature is that both of them are still on the earth. Although the world started to take action to abolish racial discrimination and nuclear weapons, it is an incredibly hard task for human to achieve. Difference of people and nuclear missiles exist as visible things. In addition, these visible facts still have tremendous invisible, deep-rooted power and threat on people, such as racial prejudices and nuclear deterrent. Invisible idea of racism surely prevails on the society, just as radiation spreads undermining the land. Moreover, even if all nuclear weapons were thrown away, radiation remains. Those who had been hurt, and the nature polluted also stay. Focusing on the racism, banning discrimination by laws would not be the perfect solution. Because even if all racists were arrested and tried, racism itself can slip out of the courts and jails. It is very difficult to detect and do away with the invisible harm.


Conclusion: Races are Atoms
To summarize, racism and atomic bombs have similar history and characteristics in common.

1. They used to be just the products of scholars' curiosity, and were turned to be harmful weapons.
2. The innocent ideas left the hands of the scholars, and were politically distorted, then used to make tragedies during the war.
3. As people regret, they made promises and decisions to prevent another disasters from coming true.
4. Although there are laws and people trying to throw away these evil human products, it is difficult. Because visible facts still exist, spreading the invisible influences. 

If it can be said that racism is an atomic bomb, it is possible to liken the difference among people(which is often called 'race') to atoms. As they are similar in that both are harmless unless some try to make bad use of them. In addition, as long as there is more than one person, people's difference will never vanish, just as atoms cannot be gone from this earth. This means, there still are the sources to generate another discrimination and bombs. Thus, what we need to do, what we can do now is to be alert to the movements which may trigger the next explosion. Lastly, the most important thing is to remember the racism and an atomic bomb's fifth common thing. They are the same things, in that both can never bring peace to the world, to the heart.





Works Cited
Ian Barasch, Mark. The little Black Book of Atomic War. Trans. Naoki, Yanase, and Yumiko, Saijo. Hakuyosha, 1985.
Iwao, Ogawa, et al. Kokusai Symposium: Genbakutouka to Kagakusha [International Symposium: Atomic Bombing and Scientists]. Mod. Sanseidosensho Ser. 62. Sanseido,1982.
Jay Gould, Stephen. The Geometer of Race. Discover, 1994 (In ELP Reader, 2000. 127-140)
Lanzman, Claude. Shoah. 6th ed. Trans. Takemoto, Takahashi. Sakuhinsha, 1996
Shigeru, Fujihara. Robert Oppenheimer: Orokamono To Shiteno Kagakusha [Robert Oppenheimer: a Scientist as a Fool]. Mod. Asahisensho Ser. 549. Asahishinbunsha, 1996.





(Nov 21, 2001)