The civil defense drills (against atomic weapons hurled by
Russians) of the late '50s and early '60s have been made famous for their absolute stupidity. As children, we were taught to either crouch
under our desks, or go outside the classroom and crouch against the walls. Silence had to be maintained during these
drills. It was to be presumed that the
Russians could hear the laughter of little children.
So, one day, we did a drill and the teacher asked me what I
would do if a bomb hit. (I would like to
point out that may be the single most insensitive thing ever said by a teacher
to a student. Even then, as a little
kid, I was offended.)
The right answer, apparently, was to say I would go crouch
under a desk. Instead, I told her I
would get outside as quickly as possible, in the hopes of getting radiated
enough to die. She was very angry with
me.
I still think I was right.
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