MEDIA MADNESS

Is it a pandemic, or is it panic?

All day long they're bombarding us with graphs, map pictures of the U S -- numbers in each state of how many have it, got it, have been diagnosed.

I'm seeing new faces, being preached to by new authoritative experts, honest ordinary scientific, medical, department heads, who say over and over, don't panic, it isn't a pandemic but it could be, but don't panic -- more cases, more deaths, but don't panic -- they're mumbling other statistics about other flu's, calmly telling me in a normal year, 35,000 death are probably from this flu, that flu, diagnosed, undiagnosed, probable, possible. Don't panic.

What do they want from us? Paralysis, a stay at home mind-set, ala a spur of the moment remark by our VP, blended immediately into a wash of faces with turquoise masks, crowded streets with masked folks rushing home, rushing around, getting out of the market place ...

Wango, bam! ... Another authoritative doctorly person is comforting me with the higher than four, that number five, five that's less than six which is the number of a world pandemic panic.

S T O P, guys. The pretty blondes, sleekly combed, sprayed brunettes in their television show makeup, eyes lined, shadowed, heavily mascared, subtly penciled, glossed mouths, cheekbones carefully rouged to show off youthful intelligence, veracity, reliability -- shut ... them ... up!

Stop telling us about TAMIFLU stockpiles, injections and remedies possibly available in the fall which may not be effective since the H1M1 ... is it M or N, oh Lordy, 3, 940 000 Googles on "N," and 22, 400 on "M" ... oh Lordy, M or N may mutate with others, the bird thing, the pig thing, the something else thing, and be unresponsive till there's more costly, scientific investigation of those circles -- fuzzy nasty looking shapes from some microscopic slide -- enlarged, of course, good heavens, it's in the air, it's everywhere from sneezing, coughing, breathing ... stop breathing.
stop ...
S T O P !
S T O P !