Ebola Ebola Ebola!

Ebola.

 

Permit me to point out some American fantasies that are related to this topic, and what happens when they come into conflict with realities.

 

 

 

Fantasy:  Humans are absolute masters of the planet, and therefore there are no meaningful threats to humans.

 

Result:  Americans don't take the ebola virus seriously, at first.

 

Reality:  Human life is very fragile, and there are many dangerous threats to human life.

 

 

 

Fantasy:  Corporations are the most essential part of our society; protect corporate profits at all times.

 

Result:  Maintain international air travel intact during an ebola epidemic in West Africa.  Therefore people in the infected area fly to America and other locations while they are carrying the virus.

 

Reality:  Corporations are evil and irresponsible.

 

 

 

Fantasy:  Americans reach out to people in distress anywhere in the world, and can rescue them from anything.

 

Result:  American health care workers voluntarily travel to West Africa to help ebola victims; some get infected themselves.

 

Reality:  Our ability to influence events far away is limited, and fraught with risk.

 

 

 

Fantasy:  America is the land of the free, and the home of the brave, and the most advanced country in the world; you will be safe in America.

 

Result:  Bring the infected American aid workers home to America, where they can get the latest treatments, and fully recover their health.

 

Reality:  America is just a country like any other.  Maybe facilities and technology are a little more advanced.

 

 

 

Fantasy:  Technology will solve all problems and is invincible.  Therefore we can treat people with ebola in our hospitals, and no one else is going to get infected.

 

Result:  Nurse in Dallas gets infected.  Head of CDC seems to suggest that she was careless, and this was the cause of her getting infected, because it could not be a fault in the technology.  After a preliminary investigation, it appears she was very careful.  Head of CDC apologizes, and now says they need to re-examine procedures.  Meanwhile, more people have been in contact with the virus.

 

Reality:  Technology is always somewhat faulty, does not solve all problems, and creates some unexpected negative consequences.

 

 

 

Fantasy:  America is invincible.  No one in their normal life must experience any inconvience, ever.

 

Result:  There is a major ebola outbreak in the US with many deaths.  The ebola virus leaks out into the environment where vectors are established here, probably in warm or sub-tropical climates (bayous of Louisiana?  Florida?) where fruit bats are present.  Now the ebola virus is established in North America, moves to Central America and South America.  There are periodic outbreaks of ebola in the Americas where there were none before.

 

Reality:  America is vulnerable, just like other nations.

 

 

 

 

Seems like there are two dangerous epidemics going on here.  The lesser one is ebola.  The greater one is those stubbornly-established American fantasies.