Discussion for article #228558
Beautiful and sad.
The fearful (and fear-mongering) reaction to Ebola in America shames us greatly.
Instead of asking “How can we help?” we run like cowards and spend our efforts trying to expel victims of disease.
Ironically, such cowardice will both increase the scope, severity, and possibly the communicability of the disease if it is allowed to rage unchecked in Africa. While at the same time, preserving our current ignorance over the most effective treatment methods and techniques for avoiding transmission.
Our fear, ignorance and bigotry is likely to kill quite a few of us unless we find our courage, and open our hearts to confront this threat with the true spirit of American exceptionalism that inspired us to create the Peace Corps, rather than the border walls and security state.
RIP Mistress Yekeh. I wish your courage inspired more of us, instead of making us pee in our Amurkan flag underwear.
12 Likes
Thank you for this moving piece. I truly don’t know what to say.
2 Likes
Wonderful piece. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friends. And I’m even more despairing of the fear and vitriol that is daily whipped into irrational frenzy by our pathetic media in their never-ending sensationalism and ratings mongering. I hope your piece is widely read because your perspective is of great value.
For your information, however, the US and the world community are right now in the process of building a number mobile isolation units, training and sending team of health providers to help stem the tide of infection in West Africa, mobilizing the strong public health infrastructure to prevent outbreaks here domestically.
Please pressure the mainstream media to be more responsible and informative about their coverage. Use whatever platform you might have to call out irresponsible fear-mongering in the mainstream press.
The conservative loonies are going to do what they can to whip up fear, but regular reporters and pundits should be called out and embarrassed for their ignorance. And they only respond to people with their own platform.
Here is some information you can use:
FACT SHEET: The US reponse to ebola in West Africa
7 Likes
What? You are just NOW figuring out that most Alpha Conservative Americans are PROUDLY IGNORANT, NARCISSISTIC, COWARDS?
2 Likes
Great little slice of human life story and a welcome break from the palpitations of rich news media fear babies.
2 Likes
So refreshing to hear the balanced and nuanced truth from someone about the current Ebola issue. As I type this I am sitting less than half a mile from the old monkey house in Reston where Ebola was discovered 25 years ago. The monkey house is long gone, but, in the history of viral disease, Reston has a brief earmark, and a lesson to teach. If ever there was an issue worth educating yourself about, hemorrhagic fever viruses is one of them.
1 Like
I certainly agree. I’ll try to remember Mistress Yekeh when I need the encouragement to tear the seams out and do something over again the right way.
And then there is Todd Kincannon former director of the Republican Party of South Carolina who thinks (and has openly opined) 
Said Kincannon: “The protocol for a positive Ebola test should be immediate execution and sanitation of the whole area. That will save lives.”
Wow, wow, wow
While this is a moving story, for the life of me, what does it do exactly to make Americans stop, to use your own words “freaking out” about Ebola? It seems to fortify the fears and tragedy in the wake of this pestilence.
Deeply sad. As an American here though I have to admit I do love and I do care and I would only bolt and run from bullets. I’m not sure anywhere in the world is a good place to assume everyone is the same. I am so sorry for the loss here. I have to check in on my friend whose family lives there.
I’m sorry, but are you fucking kidding me?
There are several reasons ebola is ravaging West Africa, including lack of education, a lack of self control, and a lack of facilities and equipment to keep the sick quarantined. But having facilities and equipment does not mean you can’t get it or shouldn’t worry about it.
Apparently there needs to be more fear, because the dude who came to Texas, carried a woman bleeding from her mouth, in Liberia. What should common sense tell you?? The nurse in Spain, her fever was .6 C degrees below the target, so she thought she was clear and continued putting others at risk, despite she directly treated someone with it! What does common sense tell you?
Ebola is a threat to everyone, regardless of protective suits and hospitals and resources. The first line of defense is common sense and self control. Err on the side of caution. The place for vitriol is for those who don’t follow those guidelines and put others at risk too.
This is a touching, painful story, I’m sorry for the loss of those people and everyone who suffers from his disease. But we should be scared, we must be cautious, and it must begin in the places where the disease is hitting hardest.
We are helping, and we should expel victims. It isn’t cowardice, it is how the disease is treated. Quarantine. You go charging in there with your open heart, you’ll be dead. Ironic your ra-ra speech is exactly the oposite of how to deal with it. Ignorance?