What's behind our conflicted feelings on nukes?

[buddysmellgood]

"Whereas science is about analysis, risk resides in most of us as a gut feeling," said University of Oregon psychology professor and risk expert Paul Slovic. "Radiation really creates very strong feelings of fear — not really fear, I would say more anxiety and unease."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110324/ap_on_sc/us_sci_nuclear_perceptions

[Dead_Parrot]

1. Various reasons

- It's the fear of the unknown - Physiologically, the unknowable: we can't see, hear, smell, taste or feel radiation but it can kill us. We are naturally leery of shit like that, to the extent we (as a species) still perform exorcisms to get rid of evil spirits and bad juju.

- It's the fear of the unknown - literally, the stuff we don't know about: If I say your left leg is radioactive, you may shit yourself and saw off you left leg: You'll still accept carbon dating on your (sawn off) left leg as acceptable and accurate, without thinking too hard about the implications... That glass of water you drank this morning contained radioactive tritium - it's made by sunlight on clouds. That banana you had for a morning snack will set off a geiger counter, and don't dare eat brazil nuts.

- It's the reporting: because of the first two factors, we're ready to leap on anything radioactive as an OMGWTFBBQ story. Case in point: the mag 9 quake in Japan has generated more column inches for the troubled reactors than it has for the quake and tsunami. I live in NZ, the shaky isles, and while I'll laugh off a mag 6 quake as a fun afternoon, I'd instantly shit my pants at a mag 8. Mag 9? Fuck that shit. I suspect very few DUers even have an inkling what that would be like: I do, and it fucking scares me.

[Name removed]

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[flamingdem]

8. This accident is going past Chernobyl levels

it's rational to note the risk to the ecosphere and the human family. Duh.

[bananas]

2. One problem is all the lies and cover-ups by the nuclear industry.

It's convinced many people that you just can't trust the nuclear industry.
And rightfully so.
You really can't trust the nuclear industry.

[madokie]

3. And it comes down to that for me

[flamingdem]

4. I have a one word response: Cesium

That'l uck you up. Nothing irrational about worry there. Just ask the Fukushima 50 how it feels and then check back with a million more people in 20 years.

[jpak]

5. My feelings are not conflicted and are reality based

nukes suck

and the asshole nuclear lobby sucks

harder

yup

:thumbsdown:

[DragonSlave]

6. People do not have fears in proportion to actual dangers

This is well documented.

Then many unscrupulous individuals blur the lines when it is politically profitable. Their ilk stir up diverse fears from terrorism to avian flu and even nuclear power by using bait-and-switch arguments and personal interest stories. The media is unable to filter these messages because of their own lack of expertise or interest in doing so. Then people identify with these positions and start repeating incorrect information.