Why do people panic about an unknown disease ?
The flu has already killed 10,000 across US as world frets ...
Feb 03, 2020 · At least 19 million people have come down with the flu in the U.S. with 180,000 ending up in the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and …
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That is an article from CNBC a few weeks ago. 10,000 Americans have died from the yearly flu so far this winter. Although some experts say numbers like that are greatly overstated, it is probably fair to say that many Americans die from the regular flu every year.
Yet, generally, people do not fear the flu and certainly there is never a discernible "panic" about it.
Yet, a new virus comes along that presents flu like symptoms in the afflicted, and suddenly a "panic" is on the horizon if not already on the doorstep. The stock market is floundering, events are being cancelled (Facebook just canceled a big internal event) and the media is starting to demonstrate hyper concern.
Why is this so?
I think the fear of coronavirus can be attributed to pop culture. Human beings are trained to be afraid of the unknown, and to a certain extent trained to enjoy being afraid of things beyond our control. An epidemic of an exotic disease falls into a "boogeyman" category of the unknown, like zombies and monsters and nuclear war and maniac serial killers.
One of Stephen King's most popular novels is about an epidemic
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The Stand - Wikipedia
The Stand is a postapocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It expands upon the scenario of his earlier short story "Night Surf", and presents a detailed vision of the total breakdown of society after the accidental release of a strain of influenza that had been modified for biological warfare causes an apocalyptic pandemic, killing off over 99% of the world's population . Published in 1978, The Stand is the fourth and longest novel King published.
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And of course there have been many movies dealing with plague like spread of disease, such as Contagion, Outbreak, World War Z, and 12 Monkeys.
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22 Movies About Epidemics That Could End The World - onedio.co
We still feel there'll be outbreaks in the future which we can't avoid. This theme was used in movies from dramas to thrillers. We put together 22 of them that will make you appreciate how valuable being healthy is. The movies are listed according to their IMDb ratings. Enjoy the …
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Such thoughts are part of the culture and have to do with primeval fears of losing control and not being able to make sense of one's existence.
One note I find interesting - a flu epidemic in 1918 infected 500,000,000 people world wide, and killed 50,000,000. Yet we hardly ever hear the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918-19 used as a reference point for comparisons to any modern epidemics.
Is there basis for widespread fear about coronavirus? My personal feeling is that it is overblown, but I am watching and wondering like everyone else.
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I dont have any fears about catching this disease, although I wouldnt go into a building where I knew that people were infected were there.
That is my attitude until I hear otherwise.
No doubt its being overblown in the media but i suppose better overblown than under-blown in the long run. Better safe than sorry.
I for one enjoy the change because it's not political news although some have already managed to make it that as well.
I think the media does it on purpose. We're constantly bombarded by news stories that say we need to be worried about one thing or another. Being told what we should or shouldn't own or do after a certain age. If you get a twinge in your big toe it may indicate some bigger, deadlier problem. It's as if we're supposed to live near the edge of abject terror all the time.
You’re espousing common sense and that shit’s just not gonna fly. We need a jillion rules.
Because it's unknown ...... duh!
Fear of the unknown and of course all the end of the world/zombie/etc. movies.
Agreed. It's like we want the zombie apocalypse to happen. There is more truth in Nix's speech than is comfortable.
I have a theory that we want an apocalypse simply because, on some level, we know the pursuits of our lives, the things we are brainwashed into desiring for a successful life, is mostly bullshit. We long for something to wipe all of that out so we can get down to what's really important. We may not know what that important thing is, but we sense that it's there.
I would rather a giant meteor hit us and take us all out at once instead of fighting off a zombie hoard. At least with a meteor it would be instant death instead of slowly being eaten alive
I don't think people are panicking, but the comparison to the flu isn't really an unknown. It's expected to kill that many people every year.
Coronavirus is an unknown. A professor from Harvard said it likely won't be contained and will ultimately effect 70% of the population. If 50% of the population gets infected at a 2% mortality rate, about 3.5 million Americans will die. That's worth paying attention to, even if its a remote chance.
I don't see 50% of the population being infected by this. People will stop going out in public long before that happens, or they will wear masks.
Do face masks really protect against coronavirus? - CBS News
Feb 05, 2020 · "It helps prevent the spread of infection ." Passengers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they arrive on a flight from Asia the …
Thank you, Sean, for some common sense.
Also, not all flues are created equal. The Spanish flu of 1918 killed about 75 million people worldwide, or 5% of the population and half a billion were infected. So a kill rate of 2% is substantial and could really impact patient care.
Being vigilant now is better than cleaning up the mess later. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention.
Coronavirus (Scary Name) = MUST WORRY....or Else....you're gonna die !
Every day Flu (Some People always die) = I get it at least once every 6 years or so.....what me worry ?
Like a "Commercial" - It's all in the Presentation and Name whether folks buy it or not.
I've died a little each day since the day the music died ...... so, bye bye miss American pie ......