I don't see anything horrible in visiting Chernobyl, though I do find comments like "Wow! It was just like in "STALKER"!" very immature and insensitive.

The "tourist" interest to this region became more pronounced in the last 2-3 years. Even on Ukrainian forums you can see local youngsters asking "How can I visit Chernobyl?". As far as I know it's MUCH cheaper than you think. Obe day tour (including transfer from and back to Kiev) costs about 100-150 dollars.