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How concerned are you of this Swine Flu? Thoughts? Opinions? Thought it was time to start this thread seeing as how big this story has become in the last few days. As of now cases are being reported all over the world. The World Health Organization has raised the pandemic alert level to Phase 5, with 6 being the highest level.

I'm already starting to see the paranoia just being out in public. The other day while riding the subway, the train was waiting at the station. A homeless woman got on board (I've seen her a few times before, and she is usually asking for change). She sat next to two people. She then started to cough. A woman sitting close by folded her newspaper, got up, then walked towards the back of the train, got out, then looked to be changing to another car. Soon after a man sitting next to the woman got up and left as well. On the way home I saw someone wearing one of those face masks.

Overall I've not too concerned although the fact that it is mostly young people who appear to be getting it is a bit worrying.

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

This is what happens when a perceived catastrophe comes along: People overreact. In the past decade, we've lived through scares of Y2K, Anthrax and SARS. We'll get through this just fine.

Besides, it's not like this is some incurable or untreatable disease. We have treatment already and more is in the pipeline. So, no. I'm not at all worried.

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This is truly a madhouse. And I'm the lunatic running it. I've spent three years wondering if I should be proud or ashamed.

It's a load of bullocks. The media thrives off of fear. Now if it were Captain Tripps, then I'd be worried.[/Stephen King referance]

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I'm well reguarded as a hypochondriac by my peers and if I'm not wigging out, no one should. The way the American media treats it is quite alarming, though. If it was extremely deadly to Americans then I'd understand the constant coverage, but so far only one person has died and that was a child coming from Mexico to get treatment in our hospitals. Most of the affected here have gotten better in their homes, from what I heard last. I just don't see any point in worrying so far.

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Our world is shaped by chains of events, the links of which are formed by the choices everyday people make.

That last point is absolutely true, but I'll disagree with you on that first point. There is absolutely a problem, it's just been overblown.

A surprising amount of people seem to constantly forget that true disasters only ever come without warning or preparation. Take Y2K, for example: We saw that potential problem coming a year in advance, and we responded by making sure that all technology was Y2K-compliant. Then there's something like, say... 9/11. Conspiracy theories aside, we had absolutely no way of guessing what would happen that day. We had no preparations or expectations, and so we spent several months in disbelief, mourning and confusion.

We learned about the swine flu outbreak long before the first fatality. We're already stockpiling cures and taking precautions. Media fearmongering aside, we're in too good a shape for a true disaster to ever happen. We'll be fine.

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This is truly a madhouse. And I'm the lunatic running it. I've spent three years wondering if I should be proud or ashamed.

This Onion article dates back almost 10 years but it's point is as valid as ever.

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Since 1918 influenza had been the monster in the cupboard so any flu that moves from animals to humans and favours the 20-40 age group makes people antsy and we should be aware of it, though the regular flu that does the rounds is, so far, more deadly. It's just not likely to get sensational enough to make the dramatic headlines the media are after.

I had the regular sort of influenza last year after a group of friends and I went interstate to a convention. Of the 13 of us who went 11 of us came down with it within 5 days. In fact, so many convention attendees got sick we dubbed the disease "Mani-plague" (after the convention's name, Manifest.)
It felt absolutely dreadful and was frighteningly contagious but it never made the papers. It just wasn't dramatic enough. It was never going to turn into the lung-chomping monster the world fears. This is business as usual for influenza.

I have to say though, if that was what the regular sort feels like I don't want the super sort!

But then there and flus and there are flus.

This snoutbreak has people wondering if this will be the horror flu everyone fears (the word is we and "overdue" for one. Not sure what that means!)
This kind of scare happens every few years. Press hungry doctors offer advice in the papers about it. Comedians make jokes about it. Average people either get spooked by the doctors or laugh with the comedians.

I laugh but I do keep an eye on it to check where it is. Know they enemy and all that. After all, there is a chance this is a serious threat. It does come from animals and favour the young which tend to mark monster flus.

A note on the masks: During a flu outbreak it is recommended you avoid touching your face. To put on and remove the mask you have to touch your face.
They are not recommended as a preventative for healthy people.
They are best used by someone who is already sick to keep the virus contained.

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This is serious

It's official... we've got Zombies.



EDIT: Just so you know, yes people, I'm quite aware this is not real.

Here's how concerned I am.

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As someone who is pretty much in the center in the plague, I wll go out and say: I'm not worried.

I do believe that there has been an outbreak. But I believe it´s easily surviveable and I believe it's mostly scandal provoked by the government and the media as a way to distract the citizens from certain recent events (Legalization of small portions of drugs and the possible removal of Humanities classes in mexican High Schools, amongst others).

Just a few days ago, the Secretary of Health was on TV and he pretty much got owned by various journalists who pointed out various contradictions in his public statements.

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My unofficial and offical work-> http://www.youtube.com/movieboyandco

Indeed. With respect to MovieDude and to our other Mexican forum users, I think Jon Stewart was right on the money when he pointed out that Swine Flu is still possibly the least likely thing to kill you in Mexico.

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This is truly a madhouse. And I'm the lunatic running it. I've spent three years wondering if I should be proud or ashamed.

No matter where it happens, this always pisses me off.
"Hi! We're going to severely truncate your child's education, so have a paper mask and a flu shot!"
Some things are universal, like media duplicity and general stupidity. I'm so sorry to hear you're in the epicenter of this bullshit.

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"Ah, walking into a field of flowers. Nothing says 'I'm going to rip your f*cking head off' like walking into a field of flowers!"--MadWorld

What's interesting is that a fella I know from my workplace today told me and a few of my co-workers that while 30o or so people have died from Swine Flu...over 3,000 died last year from the REGULAR flu.

Yeah, the media is pretty much perpetrating this a little more than necessary. It's pretty survivable as long as you have some common sense. simple thing like washing your hands and other courtesies.



Right on the money. Mexicans have a lot more to worry about than this flu. It's a fucking travesty about the possible removal of Humanities from the curriculum. What exactly is their motive for doing that? What is there to gain from this?

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"When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!"

Arts/Humanities are inevitably the first programs to go whenever there's a lack of adequate funding for schools. And "travesty" is exactly right, it's robbing young minds.

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"Ah, walking into a field of flowers. Nothing says 'I'm going to rip your f*cking head off' like walking into a field of flowers!"--MadWorld

According to POTB: Becuase they are unnecessary when it comes to making productive citizens. Paraphrased, but that's the spirit behind the plan.

And yes, Jon Stewart is right on the money.

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My unofficial and offical work-> http://www.youtube.com/movieboyandco

I cannot find and appropriate way to express my horror at this belief.
Not even this guy helps.

What about learning about, investigating, what it is be human? Perspective, insight, understanding, history? Where we are coming from, where we should be going, where we don't ever want to go to in a pink fit?
Respect for other cultures and your own.

All these things and much more I learnt from subjects like History, English, Social Science and Sociology.

Not to mention that these subjects also lead into careers. What about kids who want to work as translators, journalists and authors, artists, psychologists, politicians, lawyers, cartographers, librarians, editors and hundreds of other careers.

How can they consider barring kids from these careers? Do they want to turn them all into drones? Into worker bees? But even that makes no sense. Someone needs to do these jobs that humanities lead to. Jobs based only on maths and science are not all that's needed and are not for everyone anyway.

Are they afraid if kids read too much in the liberal arts they will learn to see such a plan for what it is and what effect it can actually have?
They don't want kids studying books like 1984 and Brave new world then.

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This is serious

If you want to compartmentalize society, take away the ability to relate to others.

If you want to control your job market, take away the jobs that require creativity.

If you want to manage your populace, take away their ability to think for themselves.

It's scary as hell.

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"Ah, walking into a field of flowers. Nothing says 'I'm going to rip your f*cking head off' like walking into a field of flowers!"--MadWorld

I am in complete agreement with you. I don´t know if this measure has passed or not, but I seriously hope it doesn´t. Calderon had my trust three years ago, but now I can see why so many people call him a shithead. I guess that there are no good politicians in this country, looks like when I get my voting card it will just be to show that I´m more than eighteen at bars or in movie theaters.

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My unofficial and offical work-> http://www.youtube.com/movieboyandco

So I guess we're not talking about swine flu anymore......

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"Heard them Walthers like to jump some" "As will you, with one in your elbow."

I guess not... perhaps this would be better suited in the WWTW... for real thread? maybe...

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@RealSlimCAvery