A Day Trip with a Geiger Counter
Fukushima Disaster Boosts Chernobyl Tourism
It may not be everyone's idea of a fun excursion, but increasing numbers of tourists
are visiting the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The day trip package includes
the use of a Geiger counter and lunch in the nuclear plant's canteen.
Because success in a white-collar office is essentially a matter of public relations, professional
life has an unfortunate tendency to whitewash one’s personality and homogenize
one’s lifestyle. In my office, if an ambitious professional hopes
to rise up the ranks, he must set about grooming his image to appeal to his superiors
and clients. He must partake of appropriate hobbies, espouse acceptable political positions,
and generally refrain from conduct that might mark him in any way
as unconventional.
And this applies even outside the office. As associates, we are explicitly instructed
to cultivate the “right” type of hobbies—those that will allow us to bump
elbows with and impress rich potential clients. So bowling is out,
and golf is almost a requisite. And it’s also expected that every time we’re in
public, we’ll portray an image that’s flattering to the firm. So no
running to the grocery store on the weekend in your sweats, since you never
know who you’ll run into.
Every so often, we’re required to attend a work-related charity auction or
dinner party, and these affairs usually manage to be both dull and stressful.
They’re always predictable: the guests will almost all be couples (single
people are looked on with suspicion). Among those who drink, they will have
a maximum of two glasses of wine or upscale beer (never hard liquor).
