The Friendly Atom

[Andrew Karam <karam.1@osu.edu>]

I was recently reading an article titled "Man's New Servant, the Friendly
Atom" from a 1954 National Geographic (I wasn't alive then, my wife bought
me the new 30 CD ROM set of the magazine from 1888 through 1997).  As you
can guess, the article was pretty upbeat, mentioning things like screwfly
sterilization, thickness gauges, atomic energy, medical research, medical
procedures, and so forth.  

What struck me most upon finishing the article is that, in over 40 years,
the arguments and examples we give the public have hardly changed while
those of our opponents have.  Could this help to explain the feeling that
we're on the losing end of the PR wars?  Can anyone suggest ways we might
try to adapt our message in the same way the antis have?  Or should we be
trying to come up with a new message?  At this point I have no answers,
only an observation and a lot of questions.

Sincerely,

Andy

The opinions expressed above are well-reasoned and insightful.  Needless to
say, they are not those of my employer. (with apologies to Michael Feldman)		

Andrew Karam, MS, CHP					(614) 292-1284 (phone)
The Ohio State University 					(614) 292-7002 (fax)
Office of Radiation Safety					"The mind is not a vessel to
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Columbus, OH  43212						lighted." (Plutarch)	   
(karam.1@osu.edu)