I thoroughly enjoyed the recent HBO Miniseries “Chernobyl”. Prior to the series I knew all about the accident. I am one of the few who wasn’t surprised to learn that the fuel control rods had graphite tips. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then watch the series! 🙂
There was some mild dissension among the first responders and other heroes who were asked to risk and typically give up their lives to end the disaster.
Most Soviets, when asked to sacrifice their lives simply stood up and volunteered enticed only by a few ruble bonus and an inspirational speech.
“Go into that water, because it must be done.”
Shortly thereafter, 3 people stood up.
The miners were a different story. They were equally heroic but they were not so easily controlled.
“These men work in the dark, they see everything” said one character of the miners.
For contrast, here is how most Soviets responded to the incident. In this scene we are some 4 short hours after the explosion. The local political party assembles to discuss how to handle the situation. One person cautiously objects and is utterly shut down by “Party” rhetoric.
It is my experience that, when the people ask questions that are not in their own best interest they should simply be told to keep their minds on their labor and leave matters of the state to the state.
Most other Soviets reacted similarly. There was mild dissension and then they fell in line. The miners were different:
“Come on then, start shooting. You haven’t enough bullets for all of us. Kill as many as you can. Whoever is left, they’ll beat the living piss out of each of you.”
That has to be one of my favourite lines from the series. The miners then gave Coal Minister Shadov a coal christening and agreed to fulfill their duty.
The miners seem to be the most intuitive group of Soviets, at least as presented in the series. Here a miner (crew chief) deduces the true nature of the emergency within seconds:
“The entrance to the tunnel won’t be 12 meters below ground. And we’re not 12 meters below ground now are we?”
“If these worked, you’d be wearing them.”
Here, the miners are asked to do the impossible, under impossible conditions. The crew chief takes no guff from anyone:
So the miners “mined the way our fathers did”.
“We’re still wearing the fucking hats”
There is a noticeable parallel between the miners and the nuclear reactor they are trying to repair. Both are under intense heat and pressure; Both are apt to explode at any moment. It is the miners unstoppable humanity that ultimately contains and squelches the explosions. The miners are the control rods of humanity, descending into the earth to restore balance to the surface.
This series, miners and all, deserve all the accolades that this series is soon likely to garner.
