How Godzilla Taught Me To Stop Worrying

(and love Climate Change)

Godzilla! The King of the Monsters! A cultural icon without equal, an international superstar! Immediately recognizable, parodied and referenced endlessly throughout society, mentioned casually in conversation by people that have never seen a single film, visible atop furniture stores and on the walls of diners. Much of the extensive Godzilla franchise is characterized by outrageous dubbing and goofy visual effects, but many of the films are quite dark and sincere. The original film, Ishiro Honda’s classic Gojira (1954), remains a powerful allegory for the truly apocalyptic events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki less than a decade earlier. The arrogance of man, rousing the ire of nature.

“History shows again and again, how nature points out the folly of men.” — Blue Oyster Cult

Something about the flimsy gray lizard suit being worn onto a stage of miniatures and engaging other bizarre beasts in larger-than-life wrestling matches captivated my imagination as a child. Godzilla emerges from the ocean, standing upright, towering over mountains and buildings…