As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine passed the month mark, and reports emerge that Russia’s nuclear forces have been placed on high alert, the culture of the late Cold War has made a swinging comeback. Think of it as Cultural Cold War 2.0, with Russia as stand-in for the former Soviet Union. In the days following the Ukraine invasion, TikTok user @Vampslayin posted a vintage news report about the film’s social impact: “Who remembers watching this as a kid?”“I do,” responds @chefmichelleagnew. If you want to experience some late Cold War dread, I recommend “Threads,” a British nuclear annihilation film that aired on the BBC in 1984. These cultural artifacts, along with the Ukrainian war itself, are now grist for the meme mill, often presented online through the lens of Gen X, the generation born between 1965 and 1980.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 31, 2022 13:48 UTC