Chernobyl - TV series Wow!

For those of you who like historical drama, this is a can't miss. TV at its finest hour. I vaguely remember the actual occurrence but this series brought it into sharp focus. A disaster that the old Soviet regime tried to keep from the world and could have been even worse. What I really like about this show is that it focused on the heroes whose self sacrifice saved much of Europe. And there were thousands of heroes. I especially like the coal miners who worked around the clock for a month in hellish conditions to contain the nuclear reactor.

I am surprised that they actually showed this in Russia. The Russian government is not happy and they are going to make their own version in which they blame the Americans.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...king-version-Chernobyl-blame-AMERICA-CIA.html

But there are journalists in Russia who aren't afraid to speak the truth. Why is it that America has to tell the truth about Russian heroes and not Russia? This is why a free press is so important.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/06/04/putins-media-struggle-to-deal-with-hbos-chernobyl-a65866

And finally something more ghoulish. The HBO show has increased tourism of Chernobyl by 30% - 40%. I don't understand why people would be attracted to this. I used to work down near the World Trade Center and after 9/11, I was disgusted by the number of people you would see daily taking smiling selfies near the site.
https://nypost.com/2019/06/06/tourists-are-flocking-to-chernobyl-thanks-to-hbo-miniseries/

But to end on a positive note, see this if you haven't. We see negative news in the papers every day. Now and then it is nice to look at some positives. The stories of the heroes who died preventing an even larger disaster is really inspiring.

Hungry - Your post reminded me of a SP I saw last year in Montreal. When I told her I was from the U.S., she said that she hated the U.S. but loved the Soviet Union. She said she was from Moldova and could not have been older than 23. She could never have lived in the Soviet Union, so I wondered why she would love it. Then I found this old article of a small break away country from Moldova that still celebrates the old Soviet Union and all of its communist icons. (Maybe she's from there?) It is actually a tourist destination for people who want the old Soviet Union experience. Again I ask - Are these people crazy?

https://nypost.com/2018/02/22/500k-people-live-in-a-country-that-doesnt-exist/

Disaster porn and cheerful selfies at sites of horrible deaths. Is this a problem with self obsessed millennials or a problem with society in general?

https://nypost.com/2019/06/12/chernobyl-instagram-thirst-traps-are-not-cool-hbo-series-creator/

Whether it is at Chernobyl or Auschwitz these people must know that this is not cool. What type of reaction are they expecting when they post these selfies on Instagram? Maybe it is just to attract controversy to drive more people to their account?

don -

Thank you for this article. How did I miss this news? Russia developing nuclear-powered cruise missiles to evade antimissile systems and then another nuclear accident. And the inevitable cover up of the seriousness of the accident. What's that old saying - Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it?

Saw a news report on the BBC last weekend about the current condition of Chernobyl. Wildlife is thriving there with the disappearance of people. And there are cats and dogs running around, even though the TV show seemed to imply they were all eradicated. The government may allow new building construction on the outskirts of the zone. There are also people who have been living in the forbidden zone for the past 30 years. They interviewed one 80 year old woman who has been living in her same home all these 30 years. She ignored the orders to vacate. She takes a drink of vodka every morning to keep her healthy. Ah such is the power of good Russian vodka!