Chandler Dalton
Mrs. Isenkul
UNIV 150
October 25, 2014
On Oct. 20 2014, the New York Times published an article written by David Brooks, he talks about fear due mainly to the Ebola virus. David mainly talks on why he feels that some people have over reacted to this virus. A few points he spoke on were Globalization, the culture of instant news, and about how he feels that we live in a segmented society. Fear is an acceptable trait when it comes to taking extra precautions to stay alive.
My first reaction to the article was that it held my attention well, even though I am not a phycology major the way the mind works really interests me. It was clear that the author was enlightened to the real facts/statistics about Ebola. How the author connected the overreaction to fear especially caught my attention. He talked about the theory of globalization, which is the integration of the world. This theory applies to said article because people will be fearful of some far off disease (southern Africa) that seems to be able to spread uncontrollably and get into the intimate spheres of life back home. This is what leads people to overreact to Ebola causing people to so such things as take their children out of school or go to an airport in a homemade HAZMAT suit. This statement especially moved me because it shows that some people, including myself, think they live in a sort of utopia where we are too far from diseases to be affected.
My next reaction was that I realized the fear is a bigger part of our thinking process than I originally thought. Because Americans tend to distance our self for death by simply not thinking about it, as the author says “the prospect of sudden savage death, even if extremely unlikely, can arouse a mental fog or fear” causing us to take unnecessary precautions. He also talks about how in cultures where death is more abundant that people tend to have a clearer view and balance the risks better than a culture where death is less prevalent. And the way this virus is portrayed in the new can add to that paranoia, by only showing the death is destruction rather than a broader perspective, tends to make people a lot more scared than they should be.
In conclusion, I can understand why so many people have been overreacting to the Ebola virus. Due to news coverage, globalization, and our cultures tendencies to distance itself from death. I challenge my reader to do more research on the possibilities of becoming infected with Ebola, and after compare you thoughts on the virus and its dangerousness.
Works Citied:
Brooks, David. “The Quality of Fear.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
Cassoobhoy, Arefa. “Ebola Virus: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention.” WebMD. WebMD, 5 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Library, CNN. “Ebola Fast Facts.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.