For young people today, the Fukushima disaster in Japan could be their Nuclear Moment.
Since the 1940s, we have been living in the Atomic Age. Each decade has produced images and imaginings that, when stitched together, add up to our ambivalent relationship with nuclear power.
In a positive light, nuclear power is seen by some as cleaner, greener and less expensive than many other energy options. “I actually think we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix,” presidential candidate Barack Obama said in 2007.
In a negative light, our dreams of peace and prosperity are periodically shocked by a nuclear nightmare and reminders that our abundance of nuclear power plants and weaponry could result in a worst-case scenario for humankind.
Now there is Fukushima, a potential catastrophe. And no one knows the ultimate extent of the danger.
Continue reaidng at “Living In The Atomic Age: Remember These Images?”