[egeozcan]

These kinds of stunts are happening everywhere, with governments left and right oriented. My parents remember how everyone was panicked because of the Chernobyl disaster in Turkey, how Cahit Aral (then Turkey's industry and trade minister) drank tea in front of the cameras to prove the Black Sea region, which produces most of Turkey's tea, wasn't contaminated, and how Turgut Özal (then Turkey's PM) commented that radioactive tea tasted better (huge sigh).

Funny, it occurs that the little increase of radiation in that region really had no significant effect on cancer rates, but those people didn't know that. I still can't explain why government officials keep doing such stunts. Maybe there should be a Wikipedia list for these.

[whatshisface]

>These kinds of stunts are happening everywhere, with governments left and right oriented.

It reveals how leaders think of their constituents - they are not approaching this from the perspective of informing the public on how to best deal with this real but not world-ending danger, instead they are thinking of it in terms of "stopping the cattle from stampeding."

[bilbo0s]

If the danger is real but not world ending, then stopping the cattle from stampeding is the appropriate priority.

Because the cattle stampeding can actually be world ending. Particularly for the trampled cattle who were likely in little danger from the start.

[lliamander]

Waiting until things actually get bad before giving people permission to take reasonable precautions is only going to make stampede worse.

[Aeolun]

Respectfully, but I don’t think ‘the public’ would take reasonable action if it was smacking them in the face.

See also, run on facemasks and other supplies.

[hef19898]

All the more reason to try it anyway.

[anticensor]

> which produces most of Turkey's tea

All of it actually, as tea is a licensed plant in Turkey.