This Week You Are Asked To Consider The Traits Necessary To
This Week You Are Asked To Consider The Traits Necessary To Be A Resp
This week, you are asked to consider the traits necessary to be a responsible and effective leader, both in the military and in civilian life beyond. To do so, you will watch the clips from the film Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in a designated order. Because the full film is not available for free, events between the clips are described in the steps below. When completed, you will evaluate its leaders using one suggested framework for responsible leadership.
To accomplish this, please follow the steps below, in order. Some numbered steps will point you to clips from the film; others will simply provide a summary of portions of the film. It is especially important that you both watch the clips and read the summaries in order to answer correctly. Read this very brief blog post: Doctor Strangelove: A classic satire. It provides some background into the clips from the film you are about to watch.
It is important to understand that Dr. Strangelove is a satire that makes use of comedy to make very serious points. Watch the Tiffany Vazquez intro—Dr. Strangelove (1964) (hosted by Turner Classic Movies). Watch this trailer for the film.
The film begins at the Burpelson Air Force Base, home to the 843rd Bomb Wing of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). The base is commanded by General Jack D. Ripper, who has cracked under the psychological strain of command during the Cold War. In his demented state, he orders his bomb wing to attack the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons, believing this will provoke a response and ensure American dominance.
Afterward, Ripper places his base on full alert, locking down security. He discusses his reasons with Lieutenant Lionel Mandrake, a UK officer on loan to the US. The clip “wing attack Plan R” shows the encrypted orders given to the bombers. Back in Washington, President Muffley and the Joint Chiefs are notified of Ripper’s actions. President Muffley calls the Soviet Premier Kissoff to explain the situation, seeking to prevent nuclear war.
Meanwhile, Mandrake discovers that Ripper has had a mental breakdown and that the attack orders are illegitimate. Mandrake demands the recall codes to turn the planes around, but Ripper refuses and ultimately commits suicide. Mandrake retrieves the codes from Ripper’s notes. The Soviet ambassador reveals the existence of a Doomsday Machine—a device designed to destroy the world in case of nuclear catastrophe. Fortunately, the recall codes work, and bombers retreat, but one aircraft, due to lost communications, delivers its payload.
The film ends with nuclear explosions, symbolizing impending Armageddon. Lastly, watch General Colin Powell’s speech, “The essence of leadership,” which discusses the qualities of effective leadership. You are asked to react to Powell’s speech, then analyze whether a character from the film would be considered a good or bad leader by Powell’s standards, and finally evaluate whether that character was a good or bad leader.
Your initial post should be at least 250 words, supporting your claims with examples from the film and scholarly sources as needed.