PRP - Argument Lesson
Argument
The power of propaganda lies in reducing complex issues into false simplicity. Events and ideas that stretch our capacity to comprehend are ripe for this type of misinformation. For instance, take another environmental risk: nuclear energy. The need for a cleaner source of energy has recently fostered a resurgence in advocacy for nuclear energy.
Reading Assignment: "Some Rethinking Nuke Opposition" by William M. Welch
Then the Fukushima meltdown of 2011 illustrated the inherent dangers of trying to harness a process that is mindboggling. Japan was struck by the awesome power of an earthquake, a deadly tsunami, and then the surreal power of atomic fission.
Obviously, nuclear energy is another environmental issue in which there are many caveats that require critical and logistical thinking. Often ideas that are this large operate on a risk/reward basis. If we can eliminate the possible deleterious effects of global warming, is expanding nuclear energy worth the risk? France, for instance, receives roughly 80% of its power from nuclear energy. Other countries are turning away from the risk entirely. Again, the stakes are very high.
Now, read an opposing viewpoint and note how the language employed shifts the connotations:
NukeFree.org works with the environmental/scientific communities to keep musicians, artists, and others educated about nuclear and safe energy issues, as well as advising people how they can best impact energy legislation--using their voices and resources to support positive new green proposals and fight against boondoggles like the nuke loan guarantees.
Together we can make a difference!
The answer to global warming and so many of our economic problems is with renewables, energy efficiency, and conservation. Help us again move beyond the fifty-year failure of atomic energy into a bright, prosperous green-powered future.
No Nukes!
Radioactive elements submerged in water create steam that turns turbines. Simple enough. The byproduct is intensely harmful, but not produced in huge quantities (compare to the 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide produced by consuming fossil fuels). The horrible events that rocked Japan and have frightened the public about possible contamination illustrate another point about propaganda: Fear is its primary weapon.
In our country, nuclear catastrophe is nearly synonymous with Three Mile Island. Neither Three Mile Island nor the Fukushima meltdown can compare to the nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl in 1986.
Reading Assignment: "Chernobyl Accident 1986"
Click here to read "Chernobyl Accident 1986" from the World Nuclear Association. Links to an external site. Note the attempt at objectivity in its reporting.
The major problem with nuclear waste is what to do with it. Currently, there are several ways in which nuclear waste is stored. Most of these methods are temporary. In most cases, a viable long-term solution for waste storage has yet to be found.
Reading Assignment: Divergents Stances on the Chernobyl Accident
The following articles take divergent stances on the severity of the Chernobyl accident specifically and the use of propaganda generally by supporters and opponents of nuclear energy.
Click here to read "Pro-Nuclear Propaganda" by Lorna Salzman. Links to an external site.
The Chernobyl explosion in 1986 affected a huge swath of land. Thousands of people were removed and note that the land is called the "exclusion zone." Scientists have been making forays in to study the long terms effects of radiation on wildlife. The jury is still out. Where there is uncertainty propaganda often fills the gaps. In the words of one insightful scientist: "Because of the lack of information," she said, "you can hear a lot of different things from ideologically interested parties."
RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.