Notes and Reflections on Books and Media

by Hannah Leitheiser

Enhanced Humans

#fallout #radiation

2019-06-11

"Many people defy government orders and roam [the radioactive Russian bomb testing area], growing fodder crops and picking wild strawberries. The villagers have their own psychological survival strategy. Many claim to be mutants, adapted to the radiation. They have come to accept their irradiated biology as genetically evolved and perfectly suited to their ecosystem. They believe themselves to be enhanced human beings.

Such attitudes may seem odd to outsiders, but may be better than always seeing yourself as a damaged victim." - Fred Pearce, Fallout: Disasters, Lies, and the Legacy of the Nuclear Age (2018)