So where do I start, well.........the mass hysteria that the media generates. Whilst I am not David Icke and don't believe Rupert Murdoch is a Lizard, I do believe the media have a bit of a field day, they did it with the Sars virus in China and are doing it now with Swine Flu. Massive headlines such as Death Toll reaches double figures - Deaths double in 2 weeks - Youngest Person Dies of Swine Flu etc, etc - The headlines are the hook because when you read the articles it suddenly becomes uninteresting as the story is never as sensational as the headline because you find out that the death toll has reached 10 out of a possible 6 billion, which is far less than the amount of people who would have been killed in a car crash that particular day which total 42000 a year.
The problem with the headline hooks is that most people don't bother reading beyond the headline and suddenly become obsesses by these wild, sensational headlines and next thing you know, there a people walking around looking like Surgeons fresh out of the operating theatre, wearing masks and gloves to prevent them from catching anything. Sadly, there seems to by a high population who also cant read, who listen to all the deaths reported and then in turn start to spread the word through the medium of 'Chinese Whispers' with school playgrounds being the breeding ground. Here is an example.
- Jean reads the Sun headline that 5 people have died with Swine Flu
- In the time it takes her to walk to school in her own head this has risen to 10
- She tells Becky, its 10 who is in shock, has only heard 10 as 20 and proceeds to call her family to spread the gossip.
- Becky's family hear it as 50 and that Becky's daughter has it and she is growing a pigs snout.
- They quarantine the family and all are ordered to wear masks, like Michael Jackson's kids.
- They put 2 and 2 together and decide that bacon, pork and sausages are the evil food which is generating this and banish this from their menu and diets.
- This is discussed with everyone in the local butchers who then boycott the butcher who has to close down.
- The butcher stops ordering pork much to the dismay of the local farmer.
- And so on and so on before all of a sudden - Everyone is confined to their house, Tesco launch shop to your door through slides directly to your door so you don't have to leave to purchase food, Pigs become extinct, Farmers go on the rampage leaving their cattle to roam the streets which are now like a scene out of I am Legend...........etc, etc and all this because Jean read the Sun.
OK, OK, so I have just exaggerated, however only slightly, this is genuinely how the conversations around swine flu are progressing every day.
The Government are trying to release messages through the media, all with good intentions, however, they are being masked by the sensationalized headlines and reports meaning people are not taking heed and doing the complete opposite as witnessed first hand when I went to the doctors this afternoon.
People are now turning up at the doctors with false ailments just so they are seen by the doctor to get signed off and continue to claim their benefits, people are being turned away hand over fist for even walking in with cold or flu like symptoms, it was like a scene out of Saving Private Ryan, only with people in tracksuits rather than army fatigues and gold sovereign necklaces rather than dog tags.
I'm sure the fad will pass, Tamiflu will become the newly used medical term that everybody knows similar to the metatarsal break through with David Beckham, masks will become the new cat walk choice and we will all be gearing ourselves up for Dolphin Flu by 2012 Olympics caused by dodgy Tuna Tins sold by Aldi - Cant wait for the headlines..........
