At the same time as Japan is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world, it is also one of the most technically advanced. When it comes to disaster preparation this combination produces a population that can be said to both be well prepared for a hypothetical disaster, but also very reliant and trusting in the ability of the government and the technology it possesses to protect it's citizens.
As we discussed in class, a deep belief in the safety and security of the institutions created to protect us from disaster can be a dangerous thing, if these institutions first fail. I can imagine that a somewhat dulled down (due to trust in safety measures) population will have potentially higher casualties if a really big disaster first strikes, than a population that has the mindset of self-reliability and preparedness.
In a country like Japan, the shock experienced in the aftermath of these kinds of disasters may be greater than in less developed countries, due to the fact that the people put a lot of trust into these safety institutions. In giving up our vigilance for safety provided by another actor, we have at the same time put ourselves in a very vulnerable position, and when we give these actors our blind trust and faith, the shock is even greater when we come to realize that they sometimes fail to protect us. Technoscience can therefore be a source of increased shock, when disaster first strikes. This shock is almost always coupled with the notion of blame in the aftermath of big catastrophes.
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