Americans totally irrational over radiation exposure

Read Time:3 Minute, 19 Second

The “sky is falling” crowd is out in force.  Thousands are buying iodide, while others are already boycotting fruit and vegetables grown in California.  The blogs are alive with misinformation, and others are hastily put together for the sole purpose of hawking some sort of “anti-radiation” product, which is almost always a scam.  People need to calm down, take a deep breath, and listen to the voices of reason not those of panic and fear. Read the following by Matt Kiebus of Death and Taxes:

In the days since the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Americans have been doing their part to contribute to the global relief effort. We sent a few television crews out to Northern Japan to document the tragedy and destruction.

Diane Sawyer and ABC Nightly News interviewed the homeless and displaced victims of the tsunami. We marveled as cameras documented how Japanese efficiency doesn’t even rest in the makeshift refugee camps, where residents still take the time to organize recyclables.

Millions of pitying Americans texted in their $10 donations, while watching the carnage on their flat screen TVs in their safe cozy living rooms. I mean that’s what we are supposed to do –- donate, lend a helping hand, and possibly throw a benefit concert.

That is unless radiation is involved, because then we should freak the fuck out. Right?

Well, that is exactly what plenty of Americans are doing now in the face of the possibility of the largest nuclear meltdown since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 in the Ukraine.

Every news outlet continues to cover the ongoing situation at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant like a block party water balloon toss. The world is watching as though they’re expecting disaster to strike for the third time in less than a week.

While the American public appears to be entirely concerned for the Japanese, the truth of the matter is the majority is scared for themselves. In typical selfish, overreacting American fashion, the country is bugging about potentially dying from radiation if in fact the Fukushima Daiichi plant blows up.

Americans have been running around on the fear of self-preservation in an effort to find Potassium Iodide tablets, which are supposed to help defend the body from radiation by affecting the thyroid. As a result the pharmaceutical companies have been selling out of the tablets at a record pace.

This kind of reaction exposes an embarrassing side to American’s nature. We care about tragedy and charity, until the millisecond it might affect our own lives. At that point our natural pessimism turns into worry of our impending doom and chaotic selfishness.

Despite the fact that Japan is located over 5,000 miles from the western boarder of the lower-48 of the United States, residents are convinced that if a nuclear disaster took place the radiation would enter the jet stream, travel to the U.S. and kill us all.

Tim Church, a spokesman for the Washington Department of Health said it best: “Japan has an evacuation area of about 12 miles from the nuclear plants. Washington state is 5,000 to 6,000 miles away from Japan.”

To say that this hypothetical radiation would reach and affect the lives of Californians, Oregonians, and Washingtonians, let alone the rest of America is outlandish. Seriously, 5,000 miles is roughly the same same as a round trip from Los Angeles to New York City.

Sure, I guess it could happen, but with that thought process I could spit into a tornado in Oklahoma City and reach Dallas, TX. It’s a ridiculous statement, and so is our unnecessary demand for Potassium Iodide tablets, which could have adverse effects if digested without radiation exposure, according to the California Department of Public Health.

But we’re America, we’re important, and we invented hypochondria.

Now excuse me while I get checked out for SARS — I’m so 2003.

Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Enhanced by Zemanta

About Post Author

Hunter Steele

Colonel Steele is a retired military officer with a deep and abiding interest in history and politics. His views are often considered controversial but his thoughts and observations have been echoed in various publications.
Happy
Happy
0 %
Sad
Sad
0 %
Excited
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
Angry
0 %
Surprise
Surprise
0 %
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of

4 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
13 years ago

…and there is a time when Americans aren’t irrational?

…remember…I’m a big fan of ‘Hill Street Blues’ so you can’t blow me off on this…;-)

Jenny40
13 years ago

My neighbor actually bought some “Radiation Kit” from the internet because he’s convinced the death cloud is going to get us.

13 years ago

I over heard a hippy in the Plaza in Santa Fe last week saying that he heard that all of California was going to get radiation poisoning and die of cancer, and he believed it. I wanted to hand him a copy of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and tell him to stay calm, but decided his reading skills may not be up to par.

Michael John Scott
Reply to  The Lawyer
13 years ago

LOL! Some of the traffic on the share sites is similar to that. I loved the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by the way 🙂

Previous post Chernobyl: Is yesterday’s horror today’s “nightmare in Japan”
Next post Anonymous targets central banks
4
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x