The boss of the nuclear power plant blames the simpsons for the negative vision of the nuclear energy public
“The Simpsons” is a progressive show by most standards. Her character in the voice of the season is the young vegetarian liberal Lisa Simpson (Yeordley Smith), for example, and she broadcast episodes supporting Queer rights and even dismantling the narration of the groomer of the years before, it was a sure thing to do. As a franchise, “The Simpsons” is particularly passionate about the environment, with the whole of the intrigue of “The Simpsons Movie” around the importance of stopping lake pollution.
But although “Simpsons” like the environment, it has contributed to perhaps one of the most harmful ecological trends in the end of the 20th century: nuclear stimulation. After all, the main character of the show operates as an inspector of security in a power station, despite the fact that the owner of the factory is a comic and corrupt baron that throws toxic sludge in local parks to save a few cents.
Nuclear energy is bad, the program is clear, which is regrettable because the current carbon footprint of the United States could have been considerably lowered if we had not greatly retreated from nuclear energy. More recently, my country of origin in New York closed its nuclear power plant, Indian Point Energy Center, allegedly for reasons of environmental protection; The result was that New York decarbonization efforts were seriously behind, with dirty energy like the fossil fuels used to compensate for the drop in nuclear electricity. (The good news: the new governor seems to be back aboard nuclear energy, so New York will only make this error will no longer make this error.)
Of course, “The Simpsons” is just a comedy show. But although the series is joking, everyone in the nuclear industry does not laugh. Julia Pyke, joint director general of a nuclear power plant currently under construction in the United Kingdom, called “Simpsons” for her fear. As she explained on the time of women of the BBC Radio 4, “I really think that” the Simpsons “, of which I really have, has rendered the nuclear industry a bad service. […] I am not M. Burns. “”
When the bosses of the nuclear power plant say they are not Mr. Burns, we should probably believe them
Pyke has also defended the construction of nuclear power plants, arguing that the greatest obstacle to governments adopting nuclear energy is not the risk of disaster but the perception of the public that there is a risk of disaster. As she explained:
“We must better communicate the benefits of nuclear energy and what it will contribute to society, focusing on opportunities for people. […] Nuclear is one of the safest ways to manufacture electricity, and it is a bit like flying analogy – people are worried about theft, but, statistically, it is extremely sure. […] We must evolve towards much more emotional communication modes so that people feel much warmer towards the industry. “”
The chances of a serious accident of the nuclear power plant are indeed significantly lower than the average person thinks, as well as the chances of having a catastrophic environmental impact. Especially with improved technology, nuclear power plants are not likely to explode their surrounding town at any time, and they will not lead to fish with three eyes swimming in a local lake. (It is also worth specifying that the radiation of a nuclear power plant will not transform local city dwellers into monstrosities with four fingers with yellow skin.
Simpsons did not start the anti-nuclear wave, the anti-nuclear wave began the Simpsons
The good news for Pyke is that “Simpsons” already seems to have understood all of this in recent seasons. The first in season 35 established that Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) is not the real security inspector of the factory; On the contrary, his work is essentially a false which is given to him out of pity while the rest of the competent employees does the real job to ensure the safety of everyone. Not all fans did not like this revelation (mainly because it spits in the face of decades of “Simpsons” traditions), but at least it paints a clearer and safer image of nuclear energy.
It should also be remembered that the public image of nuclear energy was already in the stands in 1989 when “The Simpsons” was created. Recall that it was 10 years after the three -thousand island accident and only three years after the Chernobyl disaster. The first was also broadcast shortly after the end of the Cold War; It was a period of several decades when fears of nuclear annihilation were creeping, and when the very “nuclear” word was the subject of massive destruction first, an almost-emploi energy.
The writers “Simpsons” did not choose a nuclear power plant as Homer’s work because they hated nuclear energy; They did it because the public already hated nuclear energy and they wanted an easy way to point out that Homer had a difficult life. It also works as a particularly interesting work for a sitcom to have, allowing creatives of the show to raise the stakes at the apocalyptic levels each time they want and to leave the absurdity of the eggonware of Homer striking new heights. Of course, “the Simpsons” may have indirectly contributed to preventing it from reaching an abundant era, and yes, it may have been the tilting point that condemned the world in a climate disaster, but honestly, the jokes were so good that I say that I give a pass.
