Magic Mushroom Clouds: The Atomic Bomb as American Psychotrope
Revue française d’études américaines December 4, 2018 Lindsey Michael Banco
The atomic bomb had psychotropic effects on American consciousness, altering perception and cultural expression. This article extends the meaning of "psychotropic" to include the tropology of the bomb and the mid-20th-century shift it initiated. Analyzing examples from photography, film, television, theater, and nuclear weapons landscapes, it identifies two categories of psychedelic effects: first, how the bomb made American consciousness more receptive to conformity required to justify atomic weapons; second, disruptive moments where the bomb's appearance in popular culture veers into the absurd.