Analyzing My Own Assumptions

1.What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc., do we share with the society or culture in which the text was written? Why have they endured?

Because this article was written for our own culture, it can be said that we share most (if not all) of the values/beliefs of the culture for which this was written. Specifically, we value the safety and well-being of our community.


2. What cultural or social values, beliefs, etc., do we not share? Why not?

Some members of our community may not share the belief that we need to be using nuclear energy in the first place. Although this article is concerned with how to store nuclear waste, many people believe that this nuclear waste should not have been created in the first place due to the risks associated with nuclear power and waste disposal.

3. If the text is written in a culture distant or different from our own, what social values, beliefs, etc., can we not see in our own culture?

This text was not written in a culture distant or different from our own.

4. If the text is written in our culture but in a different historical time, how have the social values, beliefs , etc., developed or changed over time?

This text was written before another accident that happened in the WIPP. The accident involved some oversights as to what was being placed in storage barrels in the repository. As a result, some of the barrels exploded, causing a very small leak of low-level radiation. Because of this event and the exaggerated coverage by the media, a large portion of people's outlook on the repository changed. This incident caused a visible shift in the culture's opinion of the WIPP, causing many community members to lose their trust in the WIPP's operation.

Reflection on my peers' analyses:

I reviewed the blog posts of Brandon Goldenberg and Nicole Nelson. Both were interesting explorations of each person's own assumptions about the cultures that were involved with the issue. Brandon made an interesting claim where he generalized all of ethical humans to have the same opinion about de-extinction. While I did not disagree with his reasoning, it was interesting to observe how this represented his own bias on his subject. Nicole's post confused me because I think she and I had differing opinions of the definition of the word 'culture.' I was interpreting it in a more global sense, such as the culture of the United States or the culture of Arizona. I believe she took it to be culture's on a smaller scale. Like the culture of different professions. This was interesting because it helped me understand how your opinion can be influenced by more than just where you live.