Do you like science? Ya We like science. Do you like cosmic rays? Ya we like cosmic rays. Do you like radiation? Ya We like radiation! Can’t wait to get a mouth full! But wait you do not don’t won’t a mouth full off radiation for numerous reasons.

(Side effects may include)


Now this learning portfolio post is going to get quite complicated and confusing so I’ll try my best to stay on topic and not lose you along the way. The highly intelligent PLP class was tasked with a very different and complex question that changes every time I read it, that question is, How is fear of nuclear/radiation used today to influence/manipulate/affect current events? Now I wish I had that super computer from the movie Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy so it could just answer my question for me.

But nope, I had to use some deep thinking to crack this question. I first started off by linking the movie “China syndrome” the documentary “Nuclear Nightmare” and the worlds largest historical nuclear disaster “Chernobyl” to the current event of nuclear treats from North Korea.

China syndrome:


In the fictional movie, The China Syndrome, the plot revolves around a newly running nuclear power plant that was built in Los Angeles, California. Two reporters went to observe the power plant, but while on scene they witnessed a significant system failure. This catastrophic incident invoked fear to the people who witnessed the system failure. The two reporters tried to spread the worst of the system failure to raise awareness about the impending probability of a nuclear disaster.

This had a huge impact on the public and it changed everyone’s view on nuclear power. The incidence raised awareness for nuclear power and the full potential of the side effects it can cause. Many socials awareness groups formed to help spread the crucial down falls of nuclear power. This invoked fear into many people and raised suspicions in the power plant workers and to the company who own it, since they went through so much trouble to cover up the accident.

Chernobyl:


Chernobyl, classified as the 11th worst man made disasters throughout the world. Before the accident, the city of Chernobyl was just like any other thriving city, filled with thousands of regular families, living a peaceful life. But on April 26, 1986, a fire broke loose in Reactor 4, causing a chain of catastrophic events which all that was left was a pile of highly radioactive rubble.

(Reactor 4)

It took months to evacuate the 130,000 citizens of Chernobyl, and all that was left of the once thriving city was nothing but land mass of highly radioactive contamination. Chernobyl is now classified as a ghost town. The downfall of Chernobyl was led to a flawed design reactor which was ran by inadequately trained personnel, causing the death of 30 innocent citizens. The accident heightened everyone’s fears and still to this day is the worlds most tragic nuclear meltdown ever.
The influence that Chernobyl had on the public was unfathomable. The incident received huge amounts of exposure and eventually became world renown. Many topics of debate revolved around the nuclear melt down and people began to question whether if it was worth the risk to run a nuclear power plant. The fear of radiation began to spread uncontrollably, and once it starts spreading there’s no stopping it, just like the Chernobyl disaster.

Nuclear Nightmare:
The documentary “nuclear disasters” assesses the toll on Chernobyl and how it effected the outside world. After the deadly radioactive contamination leak from the power plant and into the town the scientists began to predict on how many lives would be lost due to the accident. It was estimated that 985,000 lives would be lost because of the radioactive malfunction, but in reality and due to hard scientific research only 29 lives were lost from the disaster. The media was clearly caught out by over exaggerated the disaster and claiming false evidence to invoke fear into the innocent public. But the media was later caught out by scientific evidence and factual research in the documentary “Nuclear Nightmare”.

The documentary didn’t have as much impact on the public as it could of a couple decades before the release. The threat of nuclear weapons or radiation was not as high as it use to be, although the documentary still had a significant impact on the public as it furthered everyone’s knowledge of the true power that comes from nuclear energy and destruction.

Accusations from North Korea:

 
In a recent BBC news article, the news station deciphers the recent nuclear threats from North Korea. Allegedly, North Korea said they would turn Seoul into a “sea of fire”. These allegations are all a scare tactic to invoke fear into the publics eye. When it comes down to the shear facts and through scientific research, the claims from North Korea are false. When treating The United States of America, all their treats are invalid due to lack of fire power. Only South Korea could plausibly have a rocket that has enough range to hit America but no word from North Korea says they have developed a big enough missile to strike the USA.

The impact this situation North Korea has stirred up is quite significant as how all the media and public’s eye seem to be focused on the North Korean potential nuclear arsenal. Fear has been invoked into many lives but little do we know is that at this moment North Korea does not have enough fire power to do any catastrophic damage to the world.

So how does nuclear fear effect us today?
Well as times have evolved more developed weapons that are now bigger and more destructive then are flooding the world, with only one push of a button, an entire civilization could be wiped out. So obviously the population is going to be in fear which will cause people to do crazy irrational things. Many laws and treaties are being passed now by the UN to ban the production of nuclear weapons and to start the dismantlement of these horrific weapons. The only thing we can do as the human race is bring awareness to all and put all of this nuclear fear out of the picture as we could be stuck with it for a long time.