Symptoms of Ignorance and Bigotry

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: NYT

Earlier this week, a student arrived for a class on Photoshop at a social services center for Mexican immigrants inside an old church rectory.

“One of the students, a restaurant worker, said his boss told him, ‘I’m going to hire some other workers, please tell your people and friends to apply and come in for an interview,’ ” said Joel Magallan, the director of the center, Asociación Tepeyac de New York, on West 14th Street in Manhattan.

“Then the owner said, ‘Please, don’t bring Mexicans, because they could have the swine flu.’ ”

So far this year, about 13,000 people have died from ordinary, garden-variety flu in the United States, about four people every hour, every day. ...

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/nyregion/02about.html?ref=nyregion

[elocs]

1. Yes, I have read that 36000 Americans die from the regular flu each year.

The fans are being royally flamed about the swine flu. I wonder if we have what would become a real pandemic if people will really believe it after these crying wolf episodes.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Any excuse ...............

Bigots will jump on any excuse to exercise their biases. This is just the latest example. The anti-Mexican bias in this country is just being fed by this virus. And it's not pretty.

A lot of it is due to the constant pounding by the cable news networks about this outbreak. They make it sound like the Black Death has already seized our entire country and we are all doomed. They're feeding the bigots.

Synergism. It's a beautiful thing ...................

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. ask your self...who benefits from the fear of swine flu?

[Igel]

4. Sebelius did.

But that's being freeperly cynical by merely stating the obvious.

Probably others have or will, but in some cases I really can't imagine how. Perhaps a lack of imagination, perhaps a lack of parameters that keep my imagination bounded.

[NBachers]

5. "Glaxo, Novavax, other drug stocks leap due to swine flu"

USA Today headline

[valerief]

7. Torture? What torture? I'm gonna buy me some Tammy Floozy. nt

[defendandprotect]

6. 16,000+ a year die from TB . . . thanks Poppy Bush -- !!!!