Thursday, October 23, 2014

IS IGNORANCE REALLY BLISS?

I was just thinking about how quickly so many people seem to jump on the paranoia bandwagon when it comes to things like the threat of a possible Ebola outbreak in the United States or the dreaded, yet over-hyped Avian influenza (bird flu) from a few years ago. They'll run out and buy hand sanitizer and face masks, yet when the AIDS epidemic hit about 30 years ago it was and still is in many cases next to impossible to get people to practice safe sex. Wear a condom? I don't think so!

So what is it about sex that seems to make a person's judgment fly out the window? Does playing Russian Roulette heighten the sexual experience? Do people's keen sense of denial keep them from believing that something like AIDS happens to other people and not to them? I guess it's the same thing with someone who smokes and then is actually surprised when they're diagnosed with lung cancer or people who eat nothing but junk food and sit on their butts and then wonder why they've developed Type II diabetes or heart disease. So what does it take to make people actually connect the dots and realize that health warnings whatever they are pertain to everyone and not just an unlucky few? Is ignorance really bliss or is ignorance a silent ninja assassin?

12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I think after engaging in too much risky business during my lifetime, at this point I'll stick with being armed with the facts instead of having my head buried in the sand.

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  2. I was living in San Francisco when the AIDS crisis was reaching it's crescendo, with the people infected in the mid/late 80s passing away in droves as they tried to get their message across to the younger kids to wear condoms. Now who even hears about AIDS prevention anymore?

    It's funny but my liberal friends on FB are all, 'stop blowing ebola out of proportion' but my conservative friends are like, 'we're all gonna die'.

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  3. AIDS is still thought of as a "gay person's disease".

    this whole ebola thing is outta hand; I am getting sick to death of every lead news story being about ebola - ONLY 6 PEOPLE HAVE CAUGHT IT! out of 310+ million people in this country! it's not a fucking epidemic!

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    1. I agree! And isn't it sad what people let themselves get caught up in?

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  4. Yup, we're all gonna die; but let's die happy.

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  5. I listen to the health warnings etc, then decide for myself if I am at risk. I have a fairly sensible routine of handwashing and avoiding crowded places if there is flu about, stuff like that. I don't bother with hand sanitisers, they are one of the things that make me cough when the fumes get to my lungs. I cover my nose and mouth if I travel on a bus where people are coughing. But I don't get panicky about all the "world in danger from epidemic XYZ" news headlines.

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    Replies
    1. More people need to be like you and use some common sense instead of being prone to mass hysteria and being part of the herd.

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  6. alas, people are not very good about being sensible about their health.

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