Chernobyl Caused Rapid Cultural Change, Term Paper Example

Chernobyl caused rapid cultural change. One of the changes was a reduction in the quality of life of the average citizen.

Chernobyl disaster historically is considered one of the most serious nuclear power plant accidents. Petryna reported that on her first visit to Ukraine an ‘absolute model of knowledge prevailed’( 63) among the people. Most importantly, artifacts pertaining to social life existence seemed mutilated as if thrashed down by hungry forest invaders.  Chernobyl is the second rated disaster to the 2011Fukushima Daiichi nuclear explosion being a 7 level event on the International Nuclear Scale.  In Life exposed: Biological Citizens after ChernobylAdriana Petryna applied anthropological strategies in examining impacts of this April 26^th Unit 4 explosion on the physical as well as the social psychological life of some 3.5 million Ukrainians(Petryna 12).   .

Even though people in neighboring territories were also severely affected, this essay will focus on the effects this disaster had on Ukrainians. Significantly, In Life exposed: Biological Citizens after Chernobyl by Adriana Petryna this anthropologist was the first to offer profound scientific evidence while exploring the magnitude of social issues emerging from the event. Politics of the outcome was fully represented in this account.Adriana Petryna began by scrutinizing the Soviet deception in non-disclosure regarding compensation of persons affected. The author succinctly highlighted realities, which were often bypassed by many reporters, historian and social scientists in covering the events during and after the disaster (Petryna 15).

For example, in chapter 7 where the author discuses ‘self and social identity in transition’ she relates the story of Ivan leaving Ukraine after research teams investigated the truth concerning illness claims. These accounts were reviewed when Petrynavisited the Radiation Research Center. There she was able to reconfigure the relationship between ‘family and state, parents and children’ (63) in evaluating the political deception while addressing  needs of the average Ukrainian citizen.

This author specifically references the biological impact of illness on the sociology of Ukrainianslife. They survived appropriating an illness script offered to them by politicians, and the health care system, which might not have really been the truth about their situation, but for the purposes of representing Chernobyl financial impact for acquiring international AID. At the same time it tore families apart because Ivan left Ukraine discarding the illness scrip to begin a different life in another territory(Petryna63).Ivan’s isolated situation was in direct reference to the many people who were relocated to other territories considered safe zones.

Adriana Petryna passionately questioned,how politics articulated bystate officials failing to adequately sensitize and educate the public  about impending disasters could  account for inefficiencies? What are the moral obligations politicians have to the people regarding communicating the true outcomes of such a disaster? Also, who ought to take responsibility for disaster outcomes such as Unit 4 regarding prevention and aftermath restoration policies(174).

Further, this author questioned the impact changesin self-recognitions had on domestic life and marriage contracts prior to the Soviet Union breakup.Answers came from her patient Anton, who her informants felt represented their future. Due to the Chernobyl disaster Anton’s breadwinner role in his family was removed.Financial constraints and radiation related illness were the primary reasons for this shift in circumstances. In the aftermath he experienced a series of misfortunes Petryna described as discordinations between state, enterprise and family(Petryna 191).

Consequently, citizenship claims,philosophy, attitudes towards daily survival; adaptations to failing health and the political response to these changes blended into a unique anthropological framework, which ultimately predicts that artifacts pertaining to social life existence were  mutilated as if thrashed down by hungry forest invaders. The suddenness as well as magnitude of the event posed this cultural confusion. With reference to Anton, Petrynaalluded to the privilege of him being able to speak about his plight being a military recruit at the time of the disaster. His case is typical of a system emerging in the aftermath characterized by an unstoppable course of illness, corruption, economic and moral decline. According to the Author when she first met this patient he declared, ‘my soul is out of place’ (191).

In examining the plight of plant workers it was discovered that they never enjoyed any quality of life after Chernobyldue to failing health and unemployment. Two hundred and thirty seven people acquired acute radiation sickness (ARS); 31 died during the first three months after Chernobyl struck. A large number of them came from fire and rescue squads delegated with controlling the spread of nuclear substances. Adriana Petryna in her investigation discovered that these workers did not know the real dangers of the smoke radiation on their bodies. Here politicians had a responsibility of sensitizing as well as protecting the public through mass evacuations (Petryna40).

Subsequently, World Health Organization in 2008 confirmed that acute radiation syndrome caused the death of 31persons after the explosion. Further, research revealed thatwhen 72,000 Russian Emergency Workers were questioned about quality of life and health issues after the explosion two hundred and sixteen endured  non-cancer related death between 1991 and 1998.Again studies were conducted among 66,000 Belarusian emergency workers. By 1990, 150 of them died of health conditions emerging from the disaster. Significantly, when Ukrainian Population was evaluated it was discovered in1995 by the National Committee for Radiation Protection that there were 5,722 casualties (Cheney 22)

Adriana Petryna contends in Life exposed: Biological Citizens after Chernobylthatwhile health has been a major factor affecting quality of life it has been used as a biological resource for migration to more affluent societies as well as compensation from the government(Petryna 65). Cheney contended that this compensation for some signaled financial improvement and social status mobility, but in reality quality of life was lost since some people were unable to work due to acute radiation effects (Cheney 22).

Currently, research shows where over five million people live in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The geographic location is categorized “contaminated” becausethere is still evidence of radionuclides emerging from Chernobyl. Of these five million people some 400,000 are still living in the most in the contaminated vicinities. These areas are strict radiation zones according to Soviet authoritiescategorizations.  While authorities were forced toevacuate 116,000 people during 1986 spring and summer of 1986 health issues affecting quality of life for citizens residing in these areas forced authorities to relocate another two hundred and twenty thousand residents. These areas are still considered exclusion zones because of their proximity toChernobyl power plant(Dyatlov11).

Relocation, evacuation, poor health and subsequent inadequate innovation by policy makers/politicians at restoring normalcy to Ukraine leaves this author to conclude that artifacts pertaining to social life existence were  mutilated as if thrashed down by hungry forest invaders. Obvious artifacts that have been destroyed are health, self-esteem and quality of life; hungry forest invaders signify Chernobyl nuclear explosion and the ensuing political corruption.

Works cited

Cheney, Glenn Alan.Journey to Chernobyl: Encounters in a Radioactive Zone. Academy Chicago. 1995. Print

Dyatlov, Anatoly (2003). Chernobyl. How did it happen? (in Russian). Nauchtechlitizdat, Moscow. 2003. Print

PetrynaAdriana.Life Exposed:Biological Citizens after Chernobyl. Princeton University Press. 2013 Print

Shcherbak, Yurii.Chernobyl (in Russian/English). New York: Soviet Writers/St. Martin’s Press. 1998 Print