Okay. I will forewarn you that this is a rant! I am tired of turning on the news every morning only to be bombarded with so much time spent reporting the latest in Swine Flu craziness. It is shocking to me to see all of the hysteria being built up around it. It just seems like the whole country has gone nuts when there is a .0001% chance that you might contract it and die from it. While in the mean time cancer and AIDS are still literally wiping out thousands of people every day! Let's please get some perspective here. First of all, its time for us to read between the lines of our news media and not allow them to tell us what to freak out about!
Secondly, I have been to Africa and seen first hand what AIDS has done to the country of Namibia. That is a very real issue related to death. We have the opportunity to stop the spread of this disease in our country as well as others by reaching out and helping to raise a generation who is well educated and understands the disease and how to prevent it.
Thirdly, I know hundreds of people who got the Swine flu and unbelievably they SURVIVED! Nobody is dropping like flies around us. Everyone seems to be bouncing back just fine. I'm the only one in my family who has not gotten it. There is still room for me to eat my words here!
Fourth, let's declare something a National Emergency that really deserves it! How about smoking, fast food, obesity, energy drinks, tanning, celebrity news, Junior Highers, televangelists, Baptists, red necks, Kentucky, Nancy Pelosi, Yo Gaba Gaba! Any of these would be awesome to create a sense of insane, frothing at the mouth, panic where we can spaz out on so many interesting things!
Fifth, I just get the sense that if we look deep into our mirrors, this panic comes from a deep rooted selfishness. If there is a remote chance (and a very remote one at that) that I might die from this flu then it is all out panic to get myself protected. But there are people dying every day of diseases that we could help with but we are too busy trying to live up to a certain standard of life that we don't have time to think about those who are suffering unless it is directly related to me.
Sixth, why the swine? Animal discrimination is what I call it. It is time we start naming new diseases after cats.
There. I feel better. Deep breath now. But not to deep unless I have my mask on!
