I am very curious about this topic being that i am pretty young. This question is obviously aimed at those who spent a good part of their life during the 'Cold War'.

1. As an American, is it more frightening to live during the 'War on Terror' than it was to live during the 'Cold War'?

2. What is the same and what is different?

1. As an American, is it more frightening to live during the 'War on Terror' than it was to live during the 'Cold War'?

Well, to me, it would be the war on terror, simply because we have a leader that obviously, to me, has no clue as to how to bring it to a close- if even a desire to bring it to a close.


2. What is the same and what is different?

Well, in many ways, the "cold war" was an artificle war- my views have changed over time, I initially served in the military during the "cold war" and thought of Russia as the enemy, and after visiting there and studying history, it was a "war", after Stalin, that was largely perpetuated by the US, and we were the more imperialistic invader, and usually supported the REALLy bad guy.

Now, with the war on terror, we are dealing with an enemy that REALLY wants to exterminate us, and don't care if thier own families perish in the meantime.

1. As an American, is it more frightening to live during the 'War on Terror' than it was to live during the 'Cold War'?

2. What is the same and what is different?

To me the terror is more frightening. During the cold war I most remember bomb drills which was frightening for a 1st grader but more so because I didn't understand it. That was in the early 70's. During the 80's I never really felt scared that we would be bombed. The terror, though, was already getting strong. So the cold war and terror overlap. When I went to Europe the first time, 1984, my mom was more scared of a terror attack (as European airports were being targeted) then the USSR attacking. All of my trips abroad during the 80's, myself and my classmates were instructed not to wear American (like don't walk around wearing an American Flag) looking clothes. It wasn't fear of Soviets but the terrorists.

With terror you don't know who your enemy is. With the cold war we did. Those that were born earlier then I may have a different perspective.

edit to add: Thanks a lot led, now I feel really old! Did ya half to rub my face in it?

Being born in the early 80's, I think I was a little too you to fully grasp the concept of hundreds of nukes being pointed at us.

But experiencing life in a post 9-11 world is rather unsettling at times. Hindsight is 20/20 and we can theorize about things like mutual assured destruction and containment.

But nowadays, it's rather scary to be thinking about what a 'dirty bomb' will do or if the plane you board will be landing into a skyscraper.

I imagine both conflicts had instilled moments of fright and panic.

Kind of an apples and oranges question, but I'll do the best I can.

I'm old enough to have been a child during the "hottest" part of the Cold War. It should be remembered that there were times when it seemed that a nuclear exchange between the USA and the USSR was very possible. I suppose the typical American response was a sort of low-key floating anxiety, increased to genuine fear at times such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The so-called "War on Terrorism" presents us with a different situation entirely. Terrorist acts have happened, and will continue to happen. The threat of an atomic war was entirely hypothetical. I suppose the degree of fear that a typical American feels these days varies a lot, depending on where they live, whether they have known any victims of terrorism, and so on. In my own case, I am pretty isolated from any major cities or other likely targets, and I am fortunate enough not to have any personal knowledge of any victims. So, I don't think I fear terrorism any more than I fear getting hit by lightning. (Security measures against terrorism might be thought of as lightning rods in this analogy.)