Why is there an irrational fear of plague?

[kristopher]

Why is there an irrational fear of plague? After all, globally the long term risk to any given person of dying from infectious disease is only a few percentage points higher when plague deaths are factored in.

It is irrational therefore to want to avoid creating the conditions where a plague can occur if those conditions (and the consequent risk of plague) can profit a large number of corporate entities.


ETA: this is a companion to this thread on "irrational fear of radiation"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=289763&mesg_id=289763

[Skink]

1. Just remember to floss.

[Kurmudgeon]

2. Memories of the 1918 Flu Epidemic, plus other similar health risks.

It may be irrational and over blown, but it doesn't take much to set off the herd animal that is humanity into a state of panic.
The Swine Flu scare of 2009 wasn't that long ago, I'm sure there'll be others.

[Ezlivin]

3. It's not irrational to fear an invisible, implacable, invasive infection

In fact, it would be irrational to not fear that.

The chances of death are not a factor; it's the pervasive and pernicious nature of the spreading disease. Most of us are not afraid of the flu, but if a flu outbreak has been responsible for hundreds of deaths in a town near us we take extra caution. That caution arises out of fear, naturally.

[damntexdem]

4. As with radiation, the only irrational fear of plague is ...

lack of fear.

[SheilaT]

5. My guess is that there's an evolutionary advantage

to having such a fear. We evolved in a world without effective medications for anything, and so fear of plague would lead us to shun those who are noticeably sick, and therefore avoid being infected ourselves.

In a similar manner, we are programmed to find plump babies attractive, because that plumpness was a sign both of health and ability to survive times of food hardship. We're also programmed to seek sweet and salty foods, and fats, because we evolved in conditions where those things were not easily found and consumed. Alas, we live now in conditions where those things are all too easy to obtain and consume, which is why so many of us are overweight and even obese.

[DCKit]

6. OK, now you're just being a dick.

:evilgrin:

[txlibdem]

7. And your prescription is to kill all of the cats, just as they did to cause the bubonic plague

Whoops! Killing all the cats was a bad idea!
-----------------------------------------------------
During medieval times, superstitious beliefs about witchcraft led to the killing of large numbers of cats, which allowed the Bubonic Plague to spread unchecked.

... from http://www.suite101.com/content/cats-and-the-black-plague-a58146
-----------------------------------------------------

It is irrational to kill the world with your precious fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas in order to avoid the scary witchcraft of thermal boiler power stations.

[FBaggins]

8. Pretty much the same reasons

It's invisible. People don't understand the risks and how to minimize them. People you have no influence over can impact your risk without you knowing about it.

Ignorance combined with lack of information will get ya every time.

Add a few fringe UFO websites hyping the dangers and you've got yourself a movement.

[kristopher]

9. I agree.

When we start with your demonstrated values placing corporate power above human need we must arrive at where you are:
"It is irrational therefore to want to avoid creating the conditions where a plague can occur if those conditions (and the consequent risk of plague) can profit a large number of corporate entities."


All energy plans are built around renewables. No one, and I mean no one including even the most enthusiastic nuclear proponent argues nuclear as anything more than a temporary bit player in the effort to meet our climate goals.

Having to admit the capability of renewables, those fissionistas attempt to lock in 100 years of steadily diminishing market share by then fabricating misinformation related to the more immediate capabilities of renewables. However the market isn't paying attention to them, so the only thing they have left is to act like angry ghosts of mournful coyote haunting and yipping around internet discussions...

[txlibdem]

10. Better we have nuclear as a temporary energy source till renewables can provide 100%

What is option B? Coal? Oil? Natural Gas?

Coal? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpTH3tzKLC0
......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPCFx1fMBeI&feature=related

Oil? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uled9TFmXMY&feature=related

Natural Gas? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmqW7AQXMU8
......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEB_Wwe-uBM - Radioactive Radium 226 from natural gas!
......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muzc5MExJqE - Gas Co tractors bulldoze their horse pasture without permission... and they can't do a thing to stop them!

I'll take safe and clean nuclear power over any of those.

[FBaggins]

11. Tapping you ruby slippers together three times and wishing really hard

That renewables will just get here sooner.

[kristopher]

12. Except that renewables are faster and less expensive to deploy than fission.

A fact that shoots the shit our of your ?reasoning?.

[txlibdem]

13. Capacity factor shoots the (sh..) out of your ?reasoning? as does the lack of storage

When you add the necessary excess capacity and energy storage that WILL be needed to bring wind and solar (and tidal and wave power) up to stable 24/7/365 energy sources will bring up the cost on par with SMR nuclear plants and with mass produced Thorium cycle nuclear plants.

Need the proof? For the hundredth time???
http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/maps.html#2-12

Look at maps 2-12 through 2-15 to compare the difference in wind for any area in the continental United States. You will see that in winter wind speeds are high and there is far less wind in the fall. For example, West Texas varies from 200 watts per sq meter to over 800 watts per sq meter between autumn and winter. And, as other posters have pointed out, halving the watts reduces the energy output by far more than 1/2.

[SpoonFed]

16. +1 awesome post n/t

[kristopher]

17. Thank you

[NickB79]

14. If we feared plague the same way we feared radiation

The entire American Midwest from Iowa to Montana and down to Texas would be evacuated with armed guards posted at any and all highways leading into the region, because a small percentage of prairie dogs living in the region are carriers of it.

http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-plague-kills-prairie-dogs-txt,0,629299.story

[kestrel91316]

15. K&R

[PamW]

18. Oh - I thought it said plaque...

Why is there an irrational fear of plague?
=========================================

Oh - I thought it said "plaque".

I thought we were going to get a summary of modern dentistry.

That would have been much more interesting than the actual "content"
of the thread.

PamW