Well, sadly we're back at school. During break, I got the chance to go explore most of the East Coast, from Charleston up to New York. While up in New York, I found more than a few pictures like this:
on their subways. Like we've talked about before, the nuclear industry gets a bad rap for pollution and toxic waste, in a Simpson-esq style. The picture shows a dude catching a three-eyed fish with a barrel of what is shown to be nuclear waste floating nearby, indicated by the trifoil on the side of the barrel. The poster is mostly sarcastic, the way it depicts people who live in
lofts and the way the people shopping in the fancy market look are
stereotypical and funny. Thus, looking at the toxic waste segment and
applying that same logic, it's easy to find it funny and appreciate the
joke. I understand the joke but how many thousands of people see that every day and don't?
The Gowanus Canal is heavily polluted, but to the best of my researching ability, it is through other industrial problems, none of which are nuclear. Yes, it is disgusting and polluted but no it's even remotely related to being a problem for the nuclear industry. Just another example of playing off of the public's association of nuclear with nasty barrels of green sludge.
I also got a chance to check out Charleston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Columbia. If you're ever passing through Philly, the Liberty Bell is free to check out and really moving.
-Michael
It's a shame that nuclear gets a bad rap for situations that don't even involve nuclear. Now, people will be going throughout their days thinking that the canal is radioactive.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I feel that the nuclear industry needs to invest in PR campaigns. These campaigns are a small investment compared to the consequences of a plant shutting down.
Exactly! This was one thing that caught my attention but there were 4 of these posters in the same subway car. How many cars are there on a train? How many trains with these posted? How many people see this daily? It's nitpicky to complain about but perception becomes reality and it just makes the nuclear community look worse. A pro-nuclear PR campaign would be beneficial.
DeleteThe key to a productive nuclear campaign is putting the facts in a very easy to read platform. Not just slapping the constituents with numbers and random facts. Its going to be cultural change that has now been set back by fukushima unfortunately
DeleteAwesome vacation man! How was the cold being up in the northern states for once? I have never been to Philadelphia so it is cool to see what you did there!
ReplyDeleteIf I ever work in the civilian field, I will definitely be looking on the West Coast or in the Southeast! Philadelphia was pretty awesome, like I said the national park/monument(?) is free and the Philly cheesesteak there was actually better than most others I've had. I would still advise anyone going north to bundle up and bring gloves, because sightseeing and exploring is a whole lot more fun when you can feel your hands!
DeleteI was just up in Charleston for job interview. I really liked the city a lot. It would be an ideal place to live for a recent graduate. Every building has to be lower than the highest church, so practically every single rooftop looks over the entire downtown area. It's awesome. Not to mention they have rooftop bars everywhere. Only set back is it cost big $$ to live downtown.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we found that out. There's a ton of Civil War era influence and the downtown area is kept preserved by the Historical Preservation Society of Charleston. The bar seen is much more mature than the college town bars I'm used to and it really had a profound impact on how I see night life now.
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ReplyDeleteThis again plays into the problem of misinforming the public. Its definitely one of the biggest contributors to the antinuclear movement and when some misinformed person starts to speak, they misinform others and then you have a snowball effect of idiots who don't bother to find reliable information (wether for or against nuclear). Hopefully in the future we have more people who get the joke rather than become misinformed.
ReplyDeleteI've started to use snopes and other quick web validation sources for things that seem outlandish. With the prevalence of internet accessibility in today's society, it's fairly easy to do. The unfortunate thing is it's hard to tune that bullshit meter for other people, and what one person recognizes as a little weird doesn't mean the next will. It's like trying to push the idea of a questioning attitude and safety culture through the nuclear community, and that's still not perfect. Imagine trying to do that for every person in America or the world.
DeleteThat sounds like a great Spring Break! I don't think I've been to any of hose cities. That is so interesting that the Gowanus canal pollution has nothing to do with nuclear, but that is automatically what it is associated to. Hopefully one day this will change and people will realize that there are other industries and things causing the pollution, not nuclear.
ReplyDeleteAs obnoxious as the EPA and NRC are and as much as hardcore capitalists want to do away with them, it's stuff like the Gowanus that show us why they're useful, to a point. Finding that balance of regulatory annoyance and usefulness, however, is one of the hardest tasks the industrial economy has.
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