The 40th anniversary of the first man on the moon was a few days ago and it put me in a reflective mood as I thought about what this milestone really represented. This flight was so much more than a revolution for science. It is a snapshot of what this country is really built on: image.
           Immigrants traveled to America with fantasies of opportunity and a new life for their family. The image of streets paved with gold distracted them from the vermin, death, and illness that surrounded them on their long journeys by ship to the âÂÂNew World.” Nixon kept favor with the Americans by selling them on the image of victory in Vietnam until that image was shattered by Walter Cronkite and reality.Â
        The Man on the Moon represented the victory of good over evil. America was stuck in the death hold of tension that was the Cold War. It was the era where people slept with one eye open, bomb shelters replacing security blankets. This tension was manifested through the Space Race.
         Obsession with image penetrates every aspect of American society from politics to beauty. Symbols are important everywhere, they keep morale up and remind people of what they fight and work hard for. The Man on the Moon is the epitome of image at the height of effectiveness. But an image cannot replace the substance of what it represents. America has long maintained the image of being a superpower, but IâÂÂm not sure of what that really shows for. It means wealth and influence, but we are on the brink of an actual depression and other countries’ respect for us was severely diminished by our former president. Such damage was allowed to surmount because of image that served as a cover.