Has anyone stopped to think of what this nebulously corroborated "Swine Flu" actually means on a social level?
-the introduction of increased of international trade limitations
-possible justifications for closing borders
-governmental permission to allocate excessive funds to ambiguously described health campaigns
-and the compulsory compliance of the entire nations as fueled by fear of contraction
Now, I don't know about the rest of you but these concepts seem oddly coincidental (not to mention convenient) on behalf of a government in financial crisis as a result of a costly (and unnecessarily prolonged) war, and an economy in the plummeting downturn of highly publicized purported undoing.
So how do we go about convincing everyone to reinvest in their local market? Get them scared of anything from outside of their own country.
Suddenly, all of the baby-boomers glued to their television news broadcasts are rocketed into cataclysmic terror at the onset of an ominous threat with the familiar face of a new strain of already recognized illness. And this new threat's spread is entirely dependent upon the promotion of information by large numbers of inter-coordinated news networks with clear bias and framing influence.
And then it goes global and everyone starts begging for the quarantining of any and all afflicted members along with the cut off of all imports due to their now high likelihood for transporting external infectious germs.
So what do people do? They start spending their money inside their own local communities and nation.
And what does this do? It stimulates a weakened economy.
In addition, everyone is now fully amenable to the idea of governmental control on international travel. Borders are the new Berlin Wall and obtaining the privilege of leaving ones own country is now a worldwide difficulty.
And all because of a little flu.
Who exactly is telling us there's this flu?
And where did the term pandemic enter into the discourse?
The fact is, we're getting little to no truly empirical proof of this rising menace and instead we're being caused to shiver in fear at the unknown.
Fear. This is all about fear.
And isn't it interesting that in all of this melee, a new National Health and Human Services candidate is swiftly thrown into office whilst we, as Americans, are being informed (not asked) that $1.5 billion are being invested in an anti-swine flu health effort?
What does this mean?
For what is the money being used?
And who is Kathleen Sebelius?
And finally, why are we so afraid?
Etiquette for an Apocalypse
11 years ago
2 reaction(s):
You intelligence turns me on.
Bravo! You articulated so many things I feel, but in a way I can't!
While I agree with you about the media hyped fear around this issue, the government has done nothing but urge people to remain calm and be aware that there is a possible pathogen circulating.
Kathleen Sebelius is the former Democratic governor of Kansas, who has fought flat earth republicans. Her nomination has been held up in the senate since the election by anti-abortion right wingnuts in the senate, leaving the nation deeply vulnerable in a situation like this. She is pro-choice and progressive.
I suggest you read "Flu" by Gina Kolata. The pattern of this outbreak is frighteningly close to the 1918 outbreak, which really lasted almost three years. The worst thing about it was that instead of killing the young, the old, and weak it killed the strong and healthy 20-50 age range, with fluid filling their lungs from the "cytokine storm" and resulting pneumonia.
Why should you not be in fear?......Because we are spending $1.5 billion to make sure we can detect and create a vaccine that could provide some slight protection in time for next year when the real nightmare could begin.
This is the worst thing for our economy...which is now primarily service based now. The only way to not get sick will be to stay home and avoid contact with others in social situations. If they want $5 billion It would be money well spent...how much did that useless war cost.. per day.
We now need to move from the republican mindset that the government is always bad....we need to rebuild the social contract and public health is a perfect place to start.
Sorry for the rant but this is very important.
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