The China Syndrome cleverly uses the thriller genre to explore questions about government accountability, the role of media, and the ethics of whistleblowing. Subverting the typical thriller, the film provides a blistering critique of the relationship between regulatory bodies and agencies and the potential for corruption and cover-up, with the public being none the wiser.
Behind the veneer of bellbottoms and disco, the 70s marked a period of transformative social upheaval. Defined by the discourse of the hysteric, the decade remains a tribute to the outright distrust of government and institutions. Social, technological, and political changes rocked the foundation of a romanticized America founded on Apple Pie and ‘liberty and justice for all.’
The struggle for civil rights continued into the 1970s. African Americans, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized groups fought for equality and justice. Key legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, was already in place, but the push for genuine social and economic equality persisted.
The Vietnam War was a significant catalyst for a new wave of activism. Widespread opposition to the war led to massive protests, particularly among the youth and student populations. The war’s unpopularity, combined with the draft and media coverage of its brutality, fueled dissent and grassroots organizing.
The Watergate scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, eroded public trust in government. The revelations of corruption and abuse of power deepened cynicism and led to calls for greater transparency and accountability in government.
China Syndrome cleverly capitalized on the national mood by playing out collective fears on screen and grounding itself in a broader social context. With some context fleshed out, I want to focus on the protest scenes littered throughout the film. Considering the film was released in the post-Watergate era, the protest scenes reflected the growing public anxiety about nuclear energy and, more broadly, fears about government accountability.
The scenes highlight the power of grassroots activism in effecting change. In a compelling scene, mothers held up pictures of their children to remind influential players of who is inheriting these systems, emphasizing the moral imperative to ensure public safety over corporate profit. Additionally, the protest scenes parallel the character arcs of the main characters. As Kimberly covers the protests, they deepen her understanding of the stakes involved and catalyze her to pursue the story more aggressively. Likewise, Jack realizes that the public’s anxiety reveals an undeniable truth about the plant’s safety shortfalls.
Reaction
The movie has left me with a pang of anxiety and frustration. Given that I spend a lot of time thinking about the ‘public good,’ watching the prioritization of financial gains over the safety and well-being of the community highlights a gross disregard for ethical responsibility. While the socially irresponsible behavior displayed on the screen is disturbing, it has me reflecting on public administrators’ role in bridging the gap between corporate operations and public safety.
In particular, the film made me reflect on the protections in place for whistleblowers. Whistleblowers play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and accountability of organizations, especially within organizations that rely heavily on technological innovation as their driving force. By bringing wrongdoing to light, whistleblowers ensure that organizations and their leaders are held accountable for their actions, promoting ethical behavior and preserving the public good. However, it is paramount that whistleblowers can report wrongdoing without fear. The film painted a grim picture of the apparent obstacles for whistleblowers in many organizations that rely on threats of intimidation and violence. While The Chinese Syndrome took creative license, it gave viewers a sense of the steep barriers for whistleblowers to overcome in the name of transparency.
Interpretation
By examining "The China Syndrome" through the lens of socio-technical theory, one can better understand the overlapping nature of human and technical systems. The film underscores the significance of balancing these elements to ensure safety, reliability, and ethical integrity in the face of unchecked innovation.
The China Syndrome centers around a near-meltdown at the fictional Ventana nuclear power plant. The film underscores how technical systems and human interactions are deeply intertwined. While social and technical factors have laid out the blueprint for innovation, their integration can come at a cost.
The nuclear power plant is depicted as a highly complex technical system with inherent risks. The film demonstrates how the plant’s sophisticated machinery and control systems require management and precise operation to prevent catastrophic failures. This complexity necessitates robust technical protocols and highly skilled operators.
The incident at the Ventana plant was initially triggered by a minor technical malfunction that escalated due to human error and inadequate response. Jack Godell, the plant's shift supervisor, discovers that critical safety checks and maintenance must be addressed. The film highlights how even minor lapses in technical and human procedures can lead to significant dangers in complex systems. “Environmental factors will influence the way the system behaves, and therefore, to resolve complex issues, the dynamics between psychological, economic, technical, cultural, and political aspects need to be understood” (Abbas & Michael, 2023). Given how technical these systems are, it is difficult to account for all of the external factors that can have unforeseen consequences.
The socio-technical perspective emphasizes the role of organizational culture in shaping how technical systems are managed and how information flows within an organization. In particular, organizaitons must support and encourage knowledge sharing practices. “Specifically, creating an organizational climate characterized by top management support, open communication, stimulus to develop new ideas, and respond rapidly to new opportunities is likely to encourage both management and employees to socialize and interact frequently with each other thus driving knowledge sharing intentions” (Lin & Lee, 2005).
In The China Syndrome, the plant’s organizational culture is characterized by secrecy, profit-driven motives, and a disregard for safety, which directly impact the technical operations. The plant’s executives are shown prioritizing financial concerns over safety. This culture of profit over safety leads to the suppression of critical information and the intimidation of employees who raise concerns. Socio-technical theory suggests that such a toxic organizational culture can exacerbate technical vulnerabilities and increase the likelihood of catastrophic failures.
Jack Godell’s decision to become a whistleblower reflects the socio-technical principle that human agency and ethical considerations are crucial in managing technical systems. “We can locate the distribution of morally significant agency in a given socio-technical arrangement in such a way as to affect appropriate change” (Introna, 2007). His moral courage in exposing the plant’s safety violations underscores the importance of fostering an organizational culture that values transparency and accountability.
References
Abbas, R. & Michael, K. (2023) Socio-Technical Theory: A review. In S. Papagiannidis (Ed), TheoryHub Book. Available at https://open.ncl.ac.uk / ISBN:9781739604400
Introna, L. D. (2007, May). Towards a post-human intra-actional account of socio-technical agency (and morality). In Proceedings of the Moral agency and technical artefacts scientific workshop (NIAS, Hague, 10-12 May 2007, 2007),[insert City of Publication],[insert 2007 of Publication].
I enjoyed reading your post, particularly your eye towards the protest elements in the movie, which in many ways felt underdeveloped (in the film, not your review)! It was refreshing to consider a new element.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment that the primary target for change is social. After reading both Ryan and Hunter's blogs too, it's interesting to consider what changes would actually result in positive change. To Ryan's point, is top down management perhaps the best for a highly sensitive facility? I like your take that knowledge sharing would push the needle (unintentional pun) towards having redundancy in troubleshooting malfunctions. The scenes in the control room showed a lot of monitoring of a specific component by individuals and them consequently waiting for direction. Perhaps if more people shared Jack's knowledge, the realization about the pin would have occurred sooner. The social shift of coming together as a community would also develop deeper trust. I imagine we would have seen a very different ending if the employees had enough trust in each other's concerns and actions, ultimately being supportive of one's whistleblowing by being willing to consider the possibility of error and taking a harder look at the integrity of the plant.
I found your post to be very impactful, particularly the scene you chose, which I found to be one of the most important in the entire movie. You spoke a lot about public perception of the government particularly in the 1970s, which I think it very important as well. I believe that the protests served as a significant form of feedback to the nuclear energy industry and their disregard of the public's fear just highlighted their greed. Additionally, I think you raise an important issue with the complexity of the technology- it must be handled in a particular way, which is damaged when corruption takes over the company. I think your decision to highlight human agency in becoming a whistle blower is very significant. Abbas and Michael "contend that organizations are made up of people that produce products or services using some technology, and that each affects the operation and appropriateness of
ReplyDeletethe technology as well as the actions of the people who operate it.” Jack's actions obviously had a very significant effect on the innerworkings of the plant, and his morality and ethics made a huge difference.
Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful response!
Ryan and Hunter's blogs indeed bring valuable perspectives to the table. The idea of top-down management in highly sensitive facilities, as Ryan suggests, has its merits, especially in ensuring strict adherence to protocols. However, as you noted, my focus on knowledge sharing aims to address the limitations of such an approach.
The scenes in the control room you mentioned vividly highlight the shortfalls of siloed knowledge and the resulting delays in problem-solving. If the workers had shared Jack's expertise, they might have identified the issue with the pin much sooner, potentially averting the crisis.
A social shift towards a more collaborative and trusting environment could indeed transform outcomes. Building trust and fostering a culture of open communication and mutual support are crucial, especially in high-stakes settings. As you pointed out, a community that values and respects whistleblowing could significantly enhance safety and integrity, leading to a more proactive approach to identifying and addressing issues.