Customer Reviews

SC-Nukespeak

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is not only about the history of Nuclear technology but also about the use of political language to create a political smokescreen. The book covers a fascinating look at nuclear technology from its earliest days (for example how radium was promoted as being good for you) through the development of the bomb and then to the introduction of commercial nuclear power. But more importantly it looks at how language was used to sell an unpopular and frightening technology, through the use of euphemism and other misleading language.

Using "excursion" instead of "explosion" is just one of hundreds of examples of Nukespeak, the intentional warping of language to make nuclear technology seem palatable. But this same abuse of language to sell unpalatable political policy is just as common today when plutocrats are referred to as "job creators". Orwell's notion of "newspeak" a language in which you couldn't even think dissident thoughts has its parallels in Nukespeak as well as in today's political salesmanship. Anybody who enjoys the Daily Show's dissection of the political "talking point" of the day, will enjoy reading Nukespeak.

This book is not only about the history of Nuclear technology but also about the use of political language to create a political smokescreen. The book covers a fascinating look at nuclear technology from its earliest days (for example how radium was promoted as being good for you) through the development of the bomb and then to the introduction of commercial nuclear power. But more importantly it looks at how language was used to sell an unpopular and frightening technology, through the use of euphemism and other misleading language.

Using "excursion" instead of "explosion" is just one of hundreds of examples of Nukespeak, the intentional warping of language to make nuclear technology seem palatable. But this same abuse of language to sell unpalatable political policy is just as common today when plutocrats are referred to as "job creators". Orwell's notion of "newspeak" a language in which you couldn't even think dissident thoughts has its parallels in Nukespeak as well as in today's political salesmanship. Anybody who enjoys the Daily Show's dissection of the political "talking point" of the day, will enjoy reading Nukespeak.

Published by the Sierra Club, written by a trio of left-wing environmentalists shortly after Three Mile Island, Nukespeak doesn't pretend to be anything but the polemic it is, a book-length tract for the anti-nuclear movement (which, at the time of writing, was gearing up for the "Nuclear Freeze" movement as well). That the political agenda is so heavyhanded forces this reviewer to give the book only two stars; however, it must be noted that Nukespeak contains an excellent history of what it terms "the selling of nuclear technology in America" and it definitely added to the debate in its time. The problem is that this excellent history is presented with such overwhelming bias that there is no way to discern what is really true from the all-encompassing propaganda. This is not a scholarly book. If you don't like nuclear plants, though, this is definitely a treasure-trove of talking points.