Friday evening I tried to watch a news magazine show on ABC called 20/20. The three stories covered were, in order of presentation: 12 "Myths" About Germs, the potential Avian Flu pandemic, and Barbara Walters' interview with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. I wanted to watch the interview, but turned the show off after about 4 of the 12 "Myths" due to frustration with the overhyping crap. Fortunately, Nightline aired the same interview later in the evening.
I think it's worthwhile to take the Avian Flu seriously, but America's anti-germ culture is primed to make more out of it than it is.
There should be an option for those of us who still haven't grown out of the extremely naive 'I'm in my twenties and invincible therefore haven't thought about it at all.' phase of our lives. ;)
Potentially, Avian flu is a society-killer - in a worst case scenario, it could kill of a fifth of the world population, crash the global economy like nothing else in existence, shut down every major city on Earth, and usher in a short Dark Age. The Spanish Flu pandemic killed at least 25 million people in 1917-1918 - and they were prepared (comparatively) for pandemics, as they happened every few years. Travel was also much more difficult (no super airliners, no super highways, cars still uncommon, etc.) which slowed and restricted the rate of spread, and made quarrantine a lot easier.
Realistically - it's really, really unlikely to be that bad. It hasn't yet jumped species except in a small handful of cases (117 or so to date). It's not going to catch us by surprise (although it might well catch us unprepared, on a national/global level) - the ramp up has been slow, rather than a spontaneous species-jump.
It's something to be concerned about. It's something to take precautions - on a national and personal level - but it's not something to go bagonkers over. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, then don't worry - you've done what you can.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-10-15 09:32 am (UTC)I think it's worthwhile to take the Avian Flu seriously, but America's anti-germ culture is primed to make more out of it than it is.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-15 10:37 am (UTC)Frightening AND over-hyped
Date: 2005-10-15 11:06 am (UTC)Realistically - it's really, really unlikely to be that bad. It hasn't yet jumped species except in a small handful of cases (117 or so to date). It's not going to catch us by surprise (although it might well catch us unprepared, on a national/global level) - the ramp up has been slow, rather than a spontaneous species-jump.
It's something to be concerned about. It's something to take precautions - on a national and personal level - but it's not something to go bagonkers over. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, then don't worry - you've done what you can.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-15 01:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-15 05:15 pm (UTC)