Is The Sky Falling Again?
Maybe this time, Trump can advocate for masks, vax mandates and extended lockdowns so the opposite will happen.
Photo by Andrey Metelev on Unsplash
In the tale of "Chicken Little," a small bird mistakenly believes the sky is falling after being struck on the head by an acorn. In a state of alarm, Chicken Little convinces other animals to join in his panicked mission to warn the king. The story typically culminates in their encounter with a cunning fox who exploits their fears. This fable highlights the perils of unwarranted panic and emphasizes the importance critical thinking.
There's a growing concern reminiscent of the Chicken Little narrative as we observe a pattern similar to what unfolded in 2019. Media reports are stirring anxiety over a mysterious respiratory illness, predominantly affecting children, emerging from China and spreading globally (does this sound familiar?). The new illness has led to a lot of speculation.
A new outbreak of a mysterious upper respiratory disease reminds me of the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Some countries are considering travel bans and heightened health measures. The narrative is gaining traction, and is occurring at the beginning of a United States presidential election year. It mirrors what happened in the past, where a health crisis become intertwined with political agendas, ant it appears the discussion around potential government measures is intensifying.
The evolving scenario poses a crucial question: Are we witnessing a real public health threat, or is this another case of fear being leveraged for other ends? The situation demands careful scrutiny to discern fact from speculation, echoing the moral of Chicken Little. As we navigate this uncertain landscape, once again, it’s important to approach any unfolding events with a critical mindset and avoid the pitfalls of panic and misinformation.
Well, at least I know I will.
READ: What to know about so-called white lung syndrome in Mass - With respiratory illnesses spiking in China, medical experts here in the U.S. say there should be more of a push to figure out the cause of those illnesses and how to diagnose them
READ: Childhood pneumonia outbreak in Ohio unrelated to China, Europe
READ: What is White Lung Syndrome? Mystery illness sparks fear as cases rise globally - Some cases of White Lung Syndrome have been reported in Europe now, after infections seen in the US and China.
Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on a range of issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: Clayton@claytoncraddock.com.
The fable I've been finding more apt these past four years is The Boy Who Cried Wolf:
Having known full well from the very first media oversell (all ten lead articles on Fox carrying the word 'coronavirus' in a single day during late winter of 2020 was a sure indicator of a "viral" (!) rumor well on its way to becoming a political fashion craze, credible corroborating evidence not required or preferred....), I keep wondering ever since, if this is how the media-political complex can now be expected to behave over groundless gossip gone utterly amok for no more reason than that the non-story is 'trending' for whatever mysterious Century of Stupid reason rooted in the under-evaluated swamp of mass social media behavior, how will they behave when there actually is a real threat? And worse, will anyone believe it? As in, why should we?
I doubt this latest trending gossip about the latest fashion craze in health-paranoia is credible either.
But the scarier thing is, how would we know?
Considering the sources which spent the past four years tripping over their own forked tongues in the race to put out the most hyperbolic panic-mongering they could manage before somebody else tops them at it, all we're left with is an absolute vacuum of reliable sources which can be counted on to disseminate only verifiable fact, without distorting every item into a lecture in comparative political morality according to whichever criminal cartel ("party") a given venue prefers to endorse.