5 Irrational Fears (Even Rational People Have)
#5.Swine Flu
Cough. Within 30 seconds, someone in your office will ask if you have Swine Flu. If you say you do, you will be quarantined by a crowd bearing pitchforks and torches.That scene is repeating itself all over the globe, to varying degrees. In Japan,
they're selling a suit that makers claim can repel the H1N1 virus. In the Middle East, Iranian officials
have banned their devout from going on Pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites, including Mecca, to avoid contamination. Saudi Arabia is requiring that pilgrims coming to Mecca provide proof of vaccination. For the very few of our readers who aren't devout Muslims, that's like canceling Christmas and making Aunt Ethel stand out in the snow until she shows you her small pox scar.
Why It Sounds Rational:It's Swine Flu! Didn't the news say that this shit had the potential to kill like 100-million people?And look at the response! The U.S. is
preparing to vaccinate half the freaking population in under a year. That's never even been attempted before. Not even with Polio.If you don't speak the language of local and cable news, allow us to translate: THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, PEOPLE! Get in your Swine Flu bunkers before it's too late!Why It's Not:The current pandemic of Swine Flu
has claimed less than 3,000 lives. Well... that's still pretty bad, right? After all, that's like a flu-caused 9/11. Then again, the ordinary flu, that gives us the sniffles every year? That one kills several hundred thousand people around the world.The reason for the early panic is that they believed this virus was a descendant of the 1918 Spanish Flu that wiped out a jaw-dropping
50-million people. And while it was obviously not as deadly, the fear was that it would eventually mutate into something like its apocalyptic ancestor.Also, it's got a scary name.It hasn't lived up to it. Even the World Health Organization
is describing this as a "moderate" outbreak. Their advice? Same as with the regular flu. Babies and old people should get vaccinated. The rest of your should wash your hands and stay away from sick people.The World Health Organization would also like to remind everyone that it's safe to go back to eating your pork rinds, as there is no proof that pork causes Swine Flu and you cannot believe everything you read on fucking Twitter.