Cartoon commentary about current public health issues...

[Larry Pattis]

Cartoon commentary about current public health issues...



I approve of this message.

[seannx]

Add to that how many deaths there were in the US in 2012 from suicide - 39,518
and automobile accidents - 33,783.

[HHP]

I'm sure the people infected or waiting to find out if they are will find it a real kneeslapper.

[chitz]

11,000 firearm deaths.

[sweiss]

Hilarious.

[seannx]

Originally Posted by HHP

I'm sure the people infected or waiting to find out if they are will find it a real kneeslapper.

Probably not, but it's a cartoon. And it puts the risk from Ebola in perspective, compared to health risks we face everyday due to our dietary and lifestyle choices. Risks that we can all do something about by taking simple, immediate action, in contrast to a threat coming from far away, that has a much, much lower risk.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by seannx

Probably not, but it's a cartoon. And it puts the risk from Ebola in perspective, compared to health risks we face everyday due to our dietary and lifestyle choices. Risks that we can all do something about by taking simple, immediate action, in contrast to a threat coming from far away, that has a much, much lower risk.

Would it still be funny if it was putting the risk of AIDS "in perspective"?

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by HHP

Would it still be funny if it was putting the risk of AIDS "in perspective"?

I think it's not meant to be 'funny' in a "There was an Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman ..." type of way. It's irony, satire, and such humor is fundamentally serious, despite its veneer. A cartoon like that is not making light of the ebola crisis; its intent has more integrity than that.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by ewalling

I think it's not meant to be 'funny' in a "There was an Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman ..." type of way. It's irony, satire, and such humor is fundamentally serious, despite its veneer. A cartoon like that is not making light of the ebola crisis; its intent has more integrity than that.

So, its only using a disease that has killed thousands to draw attention their views on other issues. Yes, that's much better.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by chitz

11,000 firearm deaths.

61% of which are suicides.

Bob

[CyberFerret]

Originally Posted by ewalling

I think it's not meant to be 'funny' in a "There was an Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman ..." type of way. It's irony, satire, and such humor is fundamentally serious, despite its veneer. A cartoon like that is not making light of the ebola crisis; its intent has more integrity than that.

Agreed. The intent of the cartoon here is not to make one double over in laughter, it is to make one stop. And think. It is an attempt to put some perspective over something that has been somewhat overhyped by the mainstream media.

Not for one second saying that Ebola should be trivialised and ignored. However the reaction is not in proportion to the risk at the moment.

[SongwriterFan]

If you're dying of obesity, smoking, or alcohol, you can stop.

And I'm pretty sure Ebola's gonna kill you faster and more gruesomely.

But those factors don't weigh at all into the relative fear, do they?

[seannx]

The cartoon illustrates how fear of a very remote chance of anyone in America dying from Ebola, can become a big worry and concern for members of the general public. The same people who are at far greater risk of death from their dietary and lifestyle choices. It gets a point across. The estimated 19,000 yearly deaths from Aids could appear on the cartoon, too. Virtually all of the deaths listed, could be avoided by simple lifestyle and dietary changes.

None of this negates any concern any one of us has about Ebola. It's a commentary on what captures the attention of a significant portion of the U.S. population. In the extremely remote chance that any one in the US gets Ebola, they have a high probability of dying a relatively quick and painful death. The other factors listed may not be so rapid, but they are much more likely, and can make you just as dead.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by HHP

So, its only using a disease that has killed thousands to draw attention their views on other issues. Yes, that's much better.

There's no need to be so sarcastic and defensive.

[Larry Pattis]

Originally Posted by seannx

The cartoon illustrates how fear of a very remote chance of anyone in America dying from Ebola, can become a big worry and concern for members of the general public. The same people who are at far greater risk of death from their dietary and lifestyle choices. It gets a point across. The estimated 19,000 yearly deaths from Aids could appear on the cartoon, too. Virtually all of the deaths listed, could be avoided by simple lifestyle and dietary changes.

None of this negates any concern any one of us has about Ebola. It's a commentary on what captures the attention of a significant portion of the U.S. population. In the extremely remote chance that any one in the US gets Ebola, they have a high probability of dying a relatively quick and painful death. The other factors listed may not be so rapid, but they are much more likely, and can make you just as dead.

Glad to see some folks understand the point of this.

With this overload of hyped-up "information", our attention spans have diminished to near-nothing as we move from one sensational-story to the next.

Our major media outlets are screaming I-S-I-S and E-B-O-L-A because they are all trying to to draw viewers for better ratings and thus sell more ads.

It's a world that *we* have created, or at least *allowed* to be created.

Change is needed...from the inside and the out.