Is SARS threat overblown...what do you think?

[FoBoT]

the number of deaths is much lower than the regular "flu" , so yes, i think it is overblown/media hyped

 

[GasX]

Now that the chinese government has been shamed into doing something about it, I think it will get undercontrol unless it jumps to some overpopulated country with little control over its population like Malaysia.

SARS is SERIOUS SH!T!, but acute diseases can get isolated and controled relatively easily and it hasn't yet come here.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Yes, the media will do anything to turn the attention away from the war on terrorism/Iraq even though Americans are still dying overseas. The media knows that the war on terrorism produces good news for Bush. As more links to Al Quadia and WMDs are found, Bush is proven right, and the less the media will report. The fewer links and WMDs found and if the new government in Iraq fails, the media will once again increase their coverage of the region.

Americans are still dying overseas? How many and how?

I think you need to lay off the drugs... or get on some.

April 28: 4 U.S. soldiers ambushed in Baghdad

 

[Mallow]

well... it's killing the young and elderly... how much you value those age classes is how overblown you might think it is.

 

[Vic]

Fear and sensationalism have always been the media's favorite sales tools...

GT, that's crack-rock you smoked. It's not so much spite of GW as it is short attention span. Also, much of the public is upset that so much of the War in Iraq was much ado about nothing, yet we will still have a staggering price tag. That kind of thing doesn't sell well and would actually turn public sentiment against GW. I actually see the media as protecting him, not stealing his glory. Either way, get over it.

 

[Amused]

It's a big deal because of the potential.

Do we have to wait for millions to die before we warn people?

This is why health agencies are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

If they do hype a new disease, and it is contained, causing very little harm, people will call them fear mongers.

If they don't hype a new disease, and it spreads killing millions, they will be slammed for not being vigilant

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: pulse8


Are you serious? Do you really think there is a mass media conspiracy against Bush?

It's not so much a conspiracy, as a common mindset.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Yes, the media will do anything to turn the attention away from the war on terrorism/Iraq even though Americans are still dying overseas. The media knows that the war on terrorism produces good news for Bush. As more links to Al Quadia and WMDs are found, Bush is proven right, and the less the media will report. The fewer links and WMDs found and if the new government in Iraq fails, the media will once again increase their coverage of the region.

Are you serious? Do you really think there is a mass media conspiracy against Bush?

Are you serious to think there isn't one? The leftists that make up 90% of the media hate the man.

Got the names and political affiliation of that 90%?

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: pulse8


Are you serious? Do you really think there is a mass media conspiracy against Bush?

It's not so much a conspiracy, as a common mindset.

You know the common mindset of thousands and thousands of journalists?

All black people eat watermelon, too, right?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: pulse8


Are you serious? Do you really think there is a mass media conspiracy against Bush?

It's not so much a conspiracy, as a common mindset.

You know the common mindset of thousands and thousands of journalists?

All black people eat watermelon, too, right?

It's a known fact that the overwhelming majority of journalists are liberal minded, and most vote Democrat. It's been proven over and over. Hell, you wont find a journalist who will deny this very simple fact. So it doesn't take much to realize that personal bias will play a part on an individual level, and, when combined, makes for a liberal slant on most news.

You can deny reality all you want. You can compare this to racial stereotypes in vain attempts to make it go away all you want. It wont change the facts.

 

[lsman]

Originally posted by: Medellon
The mortality rate for SARS is less than the flu. The mortality rate for SARS is about 5.9% with most poeple dying who are old, very young, or already ill. Until recently, no one had dies from SARS who was less than 40. But it just goes to show that there are viruses out there that we have yet to encounter that we may have absoultely no immunity towards.

that's right. Until recently....first health care worker in HK, and as well as a 28 yrs old

and here is a pdf, about a outbreak of case in hk, where many ppl live close by got SARS (same building, and 2 buildings close to it)
Text

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
the number of deaths is much lower than the regular "flu" , so yes, i think it is overblown/media hyped

The number of deaths is lower than the flu because it hasn't spread like a typical flu season yet... but the mortality rate is 100x that of the flu. You really can't tell the difference?

 

[chizow]

I don't think its overblown, in the words of the supremely-wise Jar Jar Binks... "Yu'sa say peoples are gonna die?!??!?"

Sounds pretty serious to me.

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Yes, the media will do anything to turn the attention away from the war on terrorism/Iraq even though Americans are still dying overseas. The media knows that the war on terrorism produces good news for Bush. As more links to Al Quadia and WMDs are found, Bush is proven right, and the less the media will report. The fewer links and WMDs found and if the new government in Iraq fails, the media will once again increase their coverage of the region.

Americans are still dying overseas? How many and how?

I think you need to lay off the drugs... or get on some.

April 28: 4 U.S. soldiers ambushed in Baghdad

Um, you said dying... only one in that was seriously injured. Geez, you seem to like overexaggerating everything.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: pulse8


Are you serious? Do you really think there is a mass media conspiracy against Bush?

It's not so much a conspiracy, as a common mindset.

You know the common mindset of thousands and thousands of journalists?

All black people eat watermelon, too, right?

It's a known fact that the overwhelming majority of journalists are liberal minded, and most vote Democrat. It's been proven over and over. Hell, you wont find a journalist who will deny this very simple fact. So it doesn't take much to realize that personal bias will play a part on an individual level, and, when combined, makes for a liberal slant on most news.

You can deny reality all you want. You can compare this to racial stereotypes in vain attempts to make it go away all you want. It wont change the facts.

I'm not denying that they are because I don't know for sure, I'm just wondering how you can possibly know 100% that that the entire media industry is against Bush and would all band together to not cover certain events as a result. One of them being something as important as the war in Iraq.

 

[Medellon]

Originally posted by: 1YellowPeril
Ask yourself this: All other factors being equal, would you travel to a SARS infected area, such as Hong Kong, at this time?

Yes I would travel to Hong Kong if I had any interest in going there. I mean think about it...how many people live in Hong Kong? Probably in the tens of millions. How many people have contracted it? A pretty good estimate of around 3000. Those are damn good odds in your favor! I would take simple precautions such as religious hand washing, avoiding visibly sick people or unclean establishments but that's about it.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: pulse8


Are you serious? Do you really think there is a mass media conspiracy against Bush?

It's not so much a conspiracy, as a common mindset.

You know the common mindset of thousands and thousands of journalists?

All black people eat watermelon, too, right?

It's a known fact that the overwhelming majority of journalists are liberal minded, and most vote Democrat. It's been proven over and over. Hell, you wont find a journalist who will deny this very simple fact. So it doesn't take much to realize that personal bias will play a part on an individual level, and, when combined, makes for a liberal slant on most news.

You can deny reality all you want. You can compare this to racial stereotypes in vain attempts to make it go away all you want. It wont change the facts.

I'm not denying that they are because I don't know for sure, I'm just wondering how you can possibly know 100% that that the entire media industry is against Bush and would all band together to not cover certain events as a result. One of them being something as important as the war in Iraq.

Again, "band together" suggests a conspiracy. I have said, and will say again: There is no conspiracy.

Tell me, if you walk into a Democrat convention, will you hear anything positive said about Republicans? Of course not. If you walk into a Republican convention, will you hear anything positive said about Democrats? Of course not. They are not conspiring to be biased, they just are. And since they are together in a group with a majority opinion and mindset, the voices you hear will be severely biased.

So, if you have a media that is overwhelmingly staffed by Democrats and liberals, how much positive are you going to hear about the political viewpoints and people they oppose?

As I said: It's not a conspiracy. It's a common mindset. A common worldview.

There is no, (or very little) "banding together." Their viewpoints are overwhelmingly slanted in one direction, and therefore the news they report will reflect that slant.

A good book to read is Bernard Goldberg's "Bias." It explains, in much better words than mine, exactly how and why the news media is slanted towards the left. It also explains how there is no (or very little) conspiracy behind it.

 

[melly]

I live in Toronto and work at the airport, coming into contact with people arriving from asia on a daily basis. So do I think the threat is overblown? No.

 

[AndyHui]

Originally posted by: Medellon

Originally posted by: 1YellowPeril
Ask yourself this: All other factors being equal, would you travel to a SARS infected area, such as Hong Kong, at this time?

Yes I would travel to Hong Kong if I had any interest in going there. I mean think about it...how many people live in Hong Kong? Probably in the tens of millions. How many people have contracted it? A pretty good estimate of around 3000. Those are damn good odds in your favor! I would take simple precautions such as religious hand washing, avoiding visibly sick people or unclean establishments but that's about it.

There are 7 million in Hong Kong. Not tens of millions. As of yesterday, over 1500 had contracted it here in Hong Kong. That is 0.02% of the population.

 

[LongCoolMother]

guys, this is what i think.

i think its overblown, BUT, its no small thing. its definately worthy of a lot of attention, and it is a very real and SERIOUS threat. however, not nearly to that degree. see what i mean? its not THAT serious, like everyone is freaking out, but its definately something that has to be fixed, and quickly...

 

[Joemonkey]

i thought it was overblown until a buddy of mine went to Toronto for a week 2 weeks ago. Came back, and over the week started to get sick. I thought "psh, it's not SARS, that would be crazy talk"

he spent the nite at my place friday nite and we were drinking and playing computer games, i was typing on his keyboard... Now he's really sick, missed a day of work, and hacking up all kinds of stuff. My throat is starting to get scratchy too (luckily my wife still feels fine)

so in the course of a week or so i've gone from "bah, that won't happen to me" to "dammit my canadian friend better not end up w/ SARS or it will be ME that kills him not the disease"

 

[sohdahere]

I dont think its overblown..
this thing is highly contagious which is why its as big as it is in the news..
the threat it presents is really something to worry about.
China shut down entertainment places, travel is also getting hurt...
this could be bad...
but I heard vietnam has contained it?

 

[Oric]

Well, in a few months time when hundreds of thousands start getting sick, there wont be enough intensive care units in hospitals and respitoray machines for full blown cases of SARS then the mortality rates will rise up to %10-%15.
I guess the third world will get hurt (as usual) when the disease reaches Africa, I dont think it will ever get out without mass deaths ...

 

[her209]

Nope.