Greetings Mouthketeers:

It seems as if there is another pandemic alert:  The Swine Flu.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m scared.  Excuse me for asking, but whatever happened to Mad Cow Disease, and the Bird Flu?  Did the Bird . . . Flew?  If I remember correctly we were supposed to die of those diseases right?  Or was it the West Nile Virus?   

I’ve lived awhile, and it seems to me the more and more we live the more we live through outbreaks and diseases.  However, nowadays, we have way too many media outlets vying for attention and ratings to tell the story.  If you’re not media savvy, you might think the Swine Flu story is getting bigger and bigger and bigger—like a Godzilla or King Kong movie.  But if you look closely, the story stays the same—played out . . . over thousands of outlets.

When Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage,” I doubt he was talking about CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, MSNBC, CBS, and PBS.  If he was referring to these conglomerates, perhaps his quote would have morphed to, “All the world’s a media circus.” 

Here’s a refreshing thought:  Instead of the media shoving fear down our throats, why don’t they offer simple, reassuring advice about Swine Flu, such as, how do you get it, how can you avoid getting it, and how do you treat it once you get it?  Instead, all we see are pictures of people walking around in masks—reminiscent of some Michael Jackson music video.

Again, don’t get me wrong.  I think it’s terrible we have to live through these diseases.  Let’s not diminish the fear over Cancer or AIDS or Autism or whatever; however, let’s not look at “fear” as a disease too.  “Fear” is a useless word.  It’s like a pimple.  Let’s stamp out the fear about the Swine Flu so we can go back to being scared shitless over the economic downturn. 

SSSSSSooooooooWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! 

Seriously, God bless those who have died from this pandemic.

 Do you get the flu every year?

Peace. 

The Mouthinator.   

The Mouthinator Pop Culture