UNDERSTAND THE MANIPULATION OF PERCEPTION TO GET NUCLEAR PAST THE (SASKATCHEWAN) PUBLIC.
The main issues are NUCLEAR REACTORS, EXORBITANT COSTS, and RADIOACTIVE WASTE.
The politicians and promoters “frame” it otherwise, to divert attention.
- “Small” subtly plants the idea that the reactors are not exorbitantly expensive. (The reactors ARE expensive; they are VERY LARGE, especially in relation to actual electricity needs in Saskatchewan.)
- “Small” – The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) at the U of S has had a “small” reactor for a long time, the “slow-poke” reactor. It is under-utilized. Scientists are begged to develop projects that will use the slow-poke. It is less costly to run this “small” reactor than it is to shut it down. So they just keep it in operation.
- It doesn’t matter how “small” it is. You can’t shut down a reactor with a flip of the switch, as the Japanese painfully know. And you have a pile of radioactive waste on your hands that takes decades of cooling. Shut down the reactor? – – How? what are you going to do with it? How are you going to FINANCE the cost of dealing with it? Better that you keep it going, then retire or move, and let someone else figure it out. Hand off the responsibility.
- “Research” sounds benign. – – But “small” reactors have already been developed. Hyperion applied in the U.S. for licensing of its “small” reactor a few years ago. The Saskatchewan Government gave $10 million to help Hitachi/GE bring its small reactor on-line. It’s for tar sands expansion.
- The reactors are for Motherhood, in this case “Nuclear medicine”. . . it must be good. The truth is that a miniscule amount of the uranium mined is used for medical purposes.
- Associating the University (integrity, educated influential people) with the nuclear agenda is part of the framing.
It is important to understand the use of “FRAMING”, a tool of the skilled manipulator / propagandist / perception manager.
We create meaning through the main part of what we hear and see, but also from those elements that surround it. For example, a gun in a museum cabinet has a different meaning to a gun being pointed at you by a nervous burglar.
By changing the surroundings, the meaning of the main topic can be changed. People are usually focused on the main topic, which enables the frame to be used as a subtle form of persuasion. The persuasiveness of the argument can easily be affected – – more by the frame – – than the core point.
The Government and University try to frame the nuclear issue in terms of
- “small”
- medical isotopes
- nuclear medicine
- “science”
whenever they can get away with it.
Go to item #3 at 2011-11-07 (List of news articles) The CBC interviewer of Minister Rob Norris does a terrific job of refusing to let Norris get away with his “framing” of the argument.
Another example of framing comes from University President MacKinnon: when we Senators say that Nancy Hopkins is in a serious conflict-of-interest, he says “She’s an enormously sophisticated governance person and has terrific judgment,” AND MacKinnon gets quoted!
It is EXTREMELY frustrating when media persons allow interviewees to get away with “framing” (not answering the question).
The U of S Senators (I’m one) who are challenging the corporatization of the University have been the subject of framing. We are “shooting from the side-lines”, “rogue Senators”, etc. Do not address the issues we raise. I expect it will become worse. There are very large financial interests in tar sands expansion, for which the “small” reactors are necessary.
The ground work’s in place:
- Thank-you Mary Jean! (short YouTube, see http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=3627 ). She had the courage to tell University Senate (a gathering of Deans, the President, Chancellor, and senior people) that the Board of Governors has to deal with the conflicts-of-interest of the nuclear industry at the University.
- The grass roots Green Party put a candidate on every ballot for the Provincial Election, to collect the vote against nuclear. (Full disclosure: I am a former leader and candidate. For the Nov 2011 election I was the Business Manager for 16 candidates.)
- Now we need the Jedi Knights – you! – – to talk to everyone you know. People need to understand the predicament.