Dr. Strangelove Analysis

The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb directed by Stanley Kubrick takes place during the Cold War, when there is a rise in the production of nuclear weaponry. Kubrick expresses that during the Cold War era, the government failed to recognize the struggles of minorities, such as black people. The lack of discussion on Civil Rights issues that were prevalent at this time speaks volumes. The movie could have been directed to show what was happening aside from communism threatening across the water, but instead, Kubrick chose to not discuss the issues blacks dealt with during the time when they were fighting for their rights. Although in this time period, the main focus was the communist threat despite the
fact that black people struggled with oppression through white supremacy, segregation, and inequality at home. During the Cold War era, blacks were forced to take a backseat and were not welcome to be included matters which dealt with the decision making in our country. At this time, white people did not believe blacks were capable of handling the tasks that came with power positions. The film does not display any minorities, which shows that white men had full control within the government. The scenes that portrayed government men, who held power, discussing how to handle the nuclear issue, it was strictly white men because they believed white man had the better intellect and ability to hold such jobs. Since blacks were not viewed as people with wisdom, whites did not believe they could succeed in a job of this caliber. According to Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, in his Cornerstone Speech claims that African Americans are not equal to the white men, who are the superior race, and it is not their natural or normal condition to be in intellectually requiring fields (Stephens).
This ideal is still prevalent, as some whites still see blacks as inferior. Due to the assumption that they are inferior, whites would not let them compete against them for things such as jobs requiring a certain level of intellectual capability. Today, however, progress has been made in the diminishing of white supremacy, but there are instances where it is still evident. According to the Anti-Defamation League, "about 75% of the currently active Klan groups have a start date of 2011 or later" ("With"). This evidence shows that it is still an issue of whites being stuck in the past with racist ideologies. Along with the white supremacy that could be inferred based off the film, the segregation that blacks experienced in this time is evident. Blacks struggled with oppression by segregation during this time, but Kubrick did not emphasize this issue in the film.
In doing so Kubrick aimed to expose the governments neglect of racial tensions on the home front. America was so focused on the nuclear threat involving Russia that they failed to focus on the issue of the racial divide in the country. The film depicted a government filled with whites. Because the film did not portray a single character of African American descent, or even any other minority, it indicates that segregation was still a pressing affair. During the early 1960s, blacks were still trapped by the regulations placed upon them that originated from Jim Crow laws. "Throughout the 1960's, bus riding Freedom Riders, marchers, boycotters and other protesters," according to HistoryBits, "continued their crusade for freedom and were met with fierce white and establishment resistance" ("1960s"). During their push for rendering the nation whole and striving to acquire the integration they deserved, blacks were faced with riots, bombings, beatings, and shootings by those who felt that blacks should not be able to be accepted into a "white society" ("1960s"). While all these brutal things are happening to the blacks, the government still gives no awareness towards anything that does not revolve around combating communism. The government failed to give this issue the full attention it deserved because they were narrow minded and dedicated all of their efforts
to the war front, but today, it is different. In 2017, blacks and whites are able to coexist with little racism and attempts to separate the races again. While integration is in full swing in 2017, inequality still exists for African Americans. Inequality is another form in which blacks were kept from living as first class citizens. Although blacks had finally received the ability to be seen as a citizen, they were not viewed as equal in comparison to a white man in this time period. The fact that Kubrick did not incorporate men of color as members of the military or within politics in his film provides the context that blacks were not given equal opportunity or representation within the government. Despite the fact it has been over fifty years, blacks have yet to gain equality today. It is evident today that blacks have less of an opportunity in many aspects of their life. Malik Miah, writer for solidarity, writes that blacks who are "qualified professionals and skilled workers with equal or better résumés than whites are being turned down for jobs" (Miah). Today, blacks are still working to be seen as equals. Kubrick focuses in on what is happening between the United States and the Soviet Union and avoids the discussion of what is occurring for the blacks as they attempt to gain equality during the 60s. While the issues they face can be inferred based on the reason they are not given a role in the film, they still existed. The movie Dr. Strangelove could have utilized the platform to discuss civil rights and the neglected issues beyond the Cold War