Swine flu on DU

[The Straight Story]

I can get why folks were a little skeptical of bush and crew running about trying to scare folks with terrorism worries. But I don't see how that maps to the current situation with a flu strain that is new and has the POTENTIAL for a lot of harm.

It may peter out, may not kill a ton of people, but DAMN it has been refreshing to see people in charge making good decisions and trying their best to stop a potential danger without rushing to make new laws (like patriot act) to stop the threat.

Measured and intelligent responses, lots of data, not a government selling fear but laying out what may happen, what is happening, and what we can do.

And yet I see even here on DU people complaining about the level of coverage. The potential is massive - and if it turns out to be little, great. But why bury things like this, while thread after thread about some singing sensation seems to be ok?

I am damn glad for all the coverage here - DU is like a collection plate of news articles and ideals, and it enables me to find a ton of stories on an important issue and make up my own mind.

Too much knowledge and info for some? Hide thread and move along. But for me having people post a lot on a potential major issue is good. I am not in panic, don't think it is the only issue, but realize it has the ability to rise to a big issue. And having folks collate all that information into one place that allows me to have you report and me decide is great (unlike some stupid network who says they report and you decide, folks here really do report from all sides of the issue and let me decide).

Open discussion on the news of the day. All of which changes on a regular basis.

Sounds good to me :)

[pleah]

1. That is what brought me to DU.

Although, sometimes I can't hide threads fast enough. :P

I love the wide range of opinions. I never get tired of being surprised and informed.


:)

[FedUpWithIt All]

2. Nicely put. I first came here because DU was a source for fast and varied information.

Hopefully, it will continue to be that.



:hi:

I hope you and your little one have been well.

[NJmaverick]

3. The problem is that many DUers have turned a public health issue into a political issue

once it became a political issue the games began. You don't need tons of articles or to even make up you mind. This is a public health issue. Public health agencies, from the CDC down to your local health department, have been around for a long long time protecting the public from just such threats. We don't need Holiday Inn DU experts spouting off on this issue. It clouds the topic and makes it more difficult for the public health people to do their job (by crowding out the messages they need to get out to the public). You want info, go the the CDC Swine flue website:

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

You want more, pay attention to the information you local and state health departments are putting out.


That's all there is to it. This is not a topic to debate. It's not a topic for self styled experts and it's certainly not a topic for the usual suspects to play the usual games.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Sadly this made me reach two sad conclusions

1.- Some people do react by lashing out (cue in the conspiracy folks and science deniers), who also reacted the same way to insert major story here before, such as the economy crashing all over.

2.- I will have to keep posting those articles even when some folks keep claiming that I have my hair on fire and that information is pushing a panic

See number one

And a third conclusion is that ignorance., willful ignorance is bliss and has no party

By the way recommended

Oh and consequences if this is the pandemic we have been warmed for over a decade now? EIther the US will retrench even further into a religious theocracy or it will come out of its stupor and actually teach scary subjects like oh I don;t know biology in High School... as well as history

[The Straight Story]

5. Today I got an email from WHO

Going over pandemics, etc. Purely Science.

They were not trying to scare me, push a news agenda, etc. Simply presenting their reasons for their responses. Made their case quite nicely.

I also get emails daily from CDC and Homeland Security on things, as well as other government agencies.

They provide info, and right now the info they are providing me also happens to intersect the MSM. I didn't pay less attention before, may not pay more attention now.

But right now things seem to have come together. We have the potential for something serious going on, we have the msm and respected gov't agencies agreeing. I don't see the harm in pushing such things to the forefront and covering them.

Outcome 1: Nothing seriously bad happens. And I am glad. But informed about them.
Outcome 2: Something bad does come of it, and I was aware of it's potential.

Either way, I - as an informed citizen, came out ahead. I don't see how some can see that as bad.

but then again - the same people complaining about this being a bunch of hype are the same ones who hype up things like shootings, etc....and want to make something big out of something that statistically is small.

Go Figure...

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I could write a thesis out of this

but I think this has to do with fear, and fear of loosing control

A pandemic (assuming it happens) will lead to a lot of loss of control

[NeedleCast]

6. Straight Story, I think some of us that have been skeptical about this

are doing so not out of a need to dump on people or belittle the situation but because we've heard this song before. It's packaged a little differently every year, but it turns out to be the same song. And when it turns out to have the same results as the last one, it's a little hard to take it seriously.

So far this virus does not appear to be terribly virulent. New cases in the high teens to low 20s per day isn't exactly geometric growth. The death percentage in most countries is zero. The vast majority of cases appear to be "mild."

That hasn't stopped the MSN from massive speculation. Now I'm not talking about the WHO. I'm not talking about CDC. Their reaction seems pretty much normal. I've been ashamed of our media though (not unusual). CNN has suggested this virus has the potential to kill "tens of millions of people." This panics people, and its been visible on DU and in my daily life. That's the issue I have. The MSM stirring people up to keep people glued to their TV and up those ratings.

[The Straight Story]

9. Do you refer to

Fundies on the RW who say the same thing about the end?

I have heard this song before as well. End times/etc have been a mainstay of my studies since I was 14, and I am 43 now. Spent a big part of my life on such things.

That does mean I discount what people of science say when it comes to issues like this. I would rather be someone who exercises caution than someone who tosses it to the wind because someone in the past was wrong.

A case can be made right now for concern on these issues. Does not mean I need to freak out or worry that the end is near. But it also does not mean I should brush off a legitimate concern because I have heard the same before.

I can choose to either listen to the 'eggheads' on this issue or ignore them because they have been wrong in the past when it comes to SARS, etc.

I choose caution. Does not mean I will alter my life, be overly worried, etc and so on. But I will be more aware of how this could affect me and mine, and pay close attention.

End of the world as I know it? I think not, that is for a later time IMHO. Something worth looking into and paying attention to? I am down with that.

At least with an issue like this I can be concerned without worrying about whether or not we are going to remove peoples' rights.

Intelligent discourse, a lot of articles posted about it. A free flow of information.

Not Panic to me, but intelligent and informed decisions.

[BlooInBloo]

8. We're dead.

EDIT: My issue was always only what Atrios said:

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/04/were-all-going-to-die.html




If it ONLY happened on this ONE issue-to-watch, it might not deserve such scorn. But it's not. DUers do this with EVERYTHING. And they're wrong so much, that they're praying to be right just once. Just to show us.

[mrbarber]

10. Speaking of Swine Flu.....

I stayed home today from work (for the second day) because I have a nasty head cold.

The reason I stayed is that on Monday one of our managers at work gave a 15 minute presentation on how dangerous swine flu, all the way I was coughing and sneezing and getting dirty looks from all my co-workers.