Nuclear Power / CULTURE
Liquid sunshine
Nuclear power has long been sold as a utopian technology that would usher in an era when no-one would need to work, energy would be free and limitless, and people would live longer and healthier lives. The cultural impacts of the ‘atom age’ were profound.
Ever since x-rays were discovered over 100 years ago and radium soon after, various applications of radiation-based technologies were devised which captured the public imagination in Europe and North America.
X-ray technology was used for everything from treating headaches to fitting shoes. Radiation cures as a fad lasted for at least 40 years and were used for ringworms, acne, tonsils and adenoids. So-called ‘female problems’ were treated by having ovaries irradiated as a cure for depression, or to bring about menopause. Some paediatricians would routinely fluoroscope pregnant mothers and their babies. People drank radium solutions as an all-purpose tonic, sometimes referred to as ‘liquid sunshine’.
In 1958 Ford came out with a prototype of the Nucleon – a nuclear-powered car. The US Air Force spent $1 billion researching a nuclear-powered fighter jet that would stay aloft forever. One science writer predicted that bad weather would be a thing of the past due to atomic ‘artificial suns’ installed on tall towers. A researcher suggested that the construction of roads could be improved by using reactors to melt highways directly on to the landscape.
With recent hype about fusion technology and the promise of a new fusion age, it would be wise to remember the mistakes of the past.
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
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