Angst Report

Here’s the latest: Tokyo Electric is now dumping 11,500 tons of radioactive water from the doomed Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. What does that mean? I’m sure, as with every other radioactive release since this disaster began, we’ll be reassured over and over, by scientists and government spokesmen, that levels of actual radioactivity are low. And the ocean is big.

Where’s the outrage? One year ago, Facebook was filled with clenched fists after the BP oil spill off the Gulf Coast. Pictures of oil-covered birds were everywhere. Will it take pictures of radioactive fish to spark some outrage this time? And what would they look like?

Can we not imagine a catastrophe that unfolds invisibly, over time? Or do we need to see small suffering creatures to get our ire up?

Photoshopped image based on original by malias on Flickr

Addendum: Immediately after posting this, my friend Thom Kennon posted a link to the radiation dumping story on Facebook, and asked:” Huh?! shouldn’t this be a group decision?”

My colleague Erika Bleiberg links to this post and ask Baristanet readers if the radiation news is giving them Sushi Angst?