I've been bothered by the total, universal lack of interest from Society regarding all things Fukushima. This is an ongoing nuclear emergency, and.. Crickets. No global protests, no "It's Day 473"-type broadcasts, much less wall to wall or even continual coverage. No outrage. No real reaction. So very little news, but evidently enough to quench collective curiousity.
There are many valid reasons for this phenomenon, and I think these reasons are contributive and re-enforce each other, curtailing the drive for knowledge, encouraging silence. Of those, I'll focus in on Denial.
In the case of Fukushima, Denial due to fear is one part, but Denial due to inability to fully process and understand the implications of this disaster, even a very little bit, is as important than fear. The continual, contaminating effect of radiation is incomprehensible to a large swath of our population, not to mention the implications of a Reactor 4 catastrophic event. Or radiation from Reactors 1, 2, or 3 reaching the water table. These crises loom so large, yet we continue on, oblivious to what could very well happen, and what is happening now. If I can't see radiation, then it must not really exist, right? Maybe you can call someone on your cell phone to have them help you figure it out!
A contributing factor to the Global Disaster Malaise that is Fukushima? Short answer: People can't wrap their heads around the implications, so they ignore it.
More implications are becoming apparent. Soon, there will be more. And then, those implications will be next to impossible to ignore, anymore..
There are many valid reasons for this phenomenon, and I think these reasons are contributive and re-enforce each other, curtailing the drive for knowledge, encouraging silence. Of those, I'll focus in on Denial.
In the case of Fukushima, Denial due to fear is one part, but Denial due to inability to fully process and understand the implications of this disaster, even a very little bit, is as important than fear. The continual, contaminating effect of radiation is incomprehensible to a large swath of our population, not to mention the implications of a Reactor 4 catastrophic event. Or radiation from Reactors 1, 2, or 3 reaching the water table. These crises loom so large, yet we continue on, oblivious to what could very well happen, and what is happening now. If I can't see radiation, then it must not really exist, right? Maybe you can call someone on your cell phone to have them help you figure it out!
A contributing factor to the Global Disaster Malaise that is Fukushima? Short answer: People can't wrap their heads around the implications, so they ignore it.
More implications are becoming apparent. Soon, there will be more. And then, those implications will be next to impossible to ignore, anymore..
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