[ClearCase_guy]

Perhaps I’m wrong, but this stuff gets hyped every year. Maybe this is the year it’s a real thing and we all die. But I suspect this is nothing at all.

The media really wants everyone to be scared all the time. That way strong government can save us.

[mewzilla]

It's not just about the mortality rate though. For example, per the CDC...

Burden of Influenza

And we have a vaccine for the flu.

[Lemon Curry]

In 1918, upwards of 50 million people died from the flu.

While ulterior politic motives are possible and often likely, we have within living memory the reality of a deadly pandemic. We need to leave the conspiracy theories aside when these outbreaks occur. This stuff is major league.

[Zhang Fei]

[Perhaps I’m wrong, but this stuff gets hyped every year. Maybe this is the year it’s a real thing and we all die. But I suspect this is nothing at all.

The media really wants everyone to be scared all the time. That way strong government can save us.]

---

China isn’t quarantining a region of 40m people that’s maybe the size of Maryland (~12,000 sq miles) for the heck of it. That “city” of Wuhan is really an agglomeration of 11m people in an area (~3,000 sq miles) 1/3 bigger than Delaware.

[Karma_Sherab]

The media really wants everyone to be scared all the time.

Impeachment isn't working, so they have to change the focus

[Vermont Lt]

They blocked off about 20 million people.

Think about that. They feel this is so serious they are willing to put 20 million people on the table. That is huge.

I am not so sure it’s our problem, until everything they buy from us, and export to us stops.

They used to say, “Imagine if everyone in China drank one Pepsi every day—what does that mean in dollars. Conversely, if 22 million people in China stopped breathing, working, producing, and consuming—-what does that mean in dollars.

[rlmorel]

I think it is right to be concerned, but I feel the same way you do.

The media wants people to be hyped up, terrified, and scared nearly to death. I personally find it creepy that they have all these news babes in tight dresses and big boobs front and center who intone "You won't want to miss this next section, viewer discretion is advised..." Selling sex and innocent's misfortune in a combination package...deliberately, in order to bring viewers in, just creeps me out. Maybe it is just me who sees it that way...

I stopped watching or reading anything from the media decades ago, the only time I see them is when my wife has the news on. I always thought the Don Henley song "Dirty Laundry" was spot on. I know that guy is a deranged Leftist, but anyone who can write this has at least this right:

---

Dirty Laundry
by Don Henley

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blond
Who comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye
It's interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry


Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You don't really need to find out what's going on
You don't really want to know just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry


Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're stiff
Kick 'em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do "The Innuendo"
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done we haven't told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

[nuconvert]

“But I suspect this is nothing at all.”

It’s not nothing. But it isn’t at the panic stage that the media likes to hype.

[LouieFisk]

“Perhaps I’m wrong, but this stuff gets hyped every year. Maybe this is the year it’s a real thing and we all die. But I suspect this is nothing at all.”
—
It has to something for China to lock down 14 cities.

[thoughtomator]

Once you’ve seen enough of these scares the next scare merely produces contempt for those hyping fear and those foolish enough to panic over it.

[cgbg]

.gov cries wolf so often they have zero credibility.

Of course if we could use that as an excuse to clamp down on illegal immigration that would be making lemonade out of lemons.

[proud American in Canada]

That’s how I feel too. The media makes everything into a crisis SARS Ebola Y2K ... the list goes on and it always is nothing.