Reading reflection

The information from the Petryna readings was surprising, to say the least. You'd think that a somewhat recent nuclear disaster would yield the biggest trove of radiation-related data, ever, but as it turns out the events are all mired in socio-political factors, one being the identity of those affected. Wit the rapid changes in Western Europe in the years following the Chernobyl disaster, many were faced with a tough choice to work in the Zone for better payment but at the cost of exposure to radiation, and the ones already affected hoped that science would help them receive the best compensation possible. Many of the latter became seen as metaphorical leeches, who weren't really deserving of compensation but asked for it because of their "levels of stress" that didn't come from radiation, which is not unexpected when a nation makes a transition away from socialism toward capitalism.
I think this ties in well with Foucalt's point about power over life and death, and the shift from "wielding death" to "preserving or not preserving life". It is true that many officials have brushed aside claims of a much greater toll of the Chernobyl disaster, and that many have also enlisted "bio-robots" to clean up the worst of the contamination despite the risks. The concealment or muddling of data that could be used to justify further compensation, as well as the workers being treated as expendable, are all ways that those in power are exercising their ability to un-preserve life, so to speak. It's a clear example of Focault's idea that the human body is not just a biological mass but a platform for various outside agents to act upon.
But I'd also point out that this kind of power is a two-way street, thanks to its historical shift toward an emphasis on the preservation of life rather than the punishment of death: the "sufferers" could therefore manipulate the state's apparent mission to preserve life, and reap benefits from it, especially in a time of change and political/social flux.