As detailed by the article along with the video, the Covid-19 pandemic is similarly grasping the world as the Spanish Flu did. Clearly, both diseases were deadly and harmful to society; but, after utilizing today’s material along with further articles and research that I looked into, the situations were quite different. Primarily, the ability to convey mass messages and protective media was incredibly different in the 1918’s than it is today. Back then, it makes sense that the Flu was incredibly harmful and deadly as spreading safety measures and precautions were incrementally more difficult than it is today. However, with the use and access to mass media today, the spread of knowledge, data, and correct/unpoliticized news should be seamless, and the safety and health of people should be much more attainable amidst a global epidemic.
While the video displayed an immense amount of political bias, I believe that the message it was trying to convey was correct. I find it difficult to seriously listen to and learn from things that are used as political propaganda because they typically aren’t credible sources. The video we watched focused more on bashing Donald Trump that it did discuss the similarities between the Spanish Flu and the Covid-19 pandemic, which I find problematic but that is beside the point. The emphasis of the video linked Trump to Wilson and clarified how his poor management of the pandemic has allowed it to spread to the point that it is now. The video referenced neglect of science, fact, and willingness of Trump to acknowledge the pandemic for what it truly is, which is understandable. With access to billions of people, the pandemic should not have gotten to the point it is and the use of media should have been more effectively managed to cultivate a safe and justified response to the pandemic. While that didn’t happen, hopefully, the future will learn from our 21st-century mistakes and utilize the tools they have to dismantle a pandemic; something that the world failed to do throughout 2020.
To connect this to me personally, I am shocked at the lack of comparison in the media between Covid-19 and the Spanish Flu. The words Spanish flu trigger a reaction in the minds of many that imitates fear due to the teachings of the Spanish flu in schooling and through discussion and self-search. The Spanish flu is a big name event that is recognized worldwide as a deadly pandemic that the world never wants to see again. The Covid-19 outbreak has panned out to exhibit similar traits to the Spanish Flu, so I am concerned as to why the media has not compared the two and utilized the fear factor to normalize everyday life again. If the media had demonstrated the true similarities between the two viruses, i believe that people would have taken COVID more seriously, so I am disappointed in the media and the government for not illustrating that comparison for the well being of society,
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