The Stand and the hyper-sensationalism of Swine Flu
I’ve had “Don’t Fear the Reaper” in my mind lately, with the song wailing and images of the corpses throughout that military installation where the made-for-TV version of Stephen King’s epic, The Stand, starts.
That had nothing to do with the news that has been buzzing around lately. Odd coincidence, though…
I guess it was when a friend on Facebook posted this status that I really woke up to it:
looks like captain tripps does exist!!! awesome!!!
Ah yes, “Captain Tripps” — the nickname for King’s super-flu from The Stand. What’s next? Corin Nemec joining Fox News coverage, staking out the Center for Disease control and trying to insinuate this is all the Democratic Party’s fault? (Corin Nemec, for those who don’t understand the reference, played Harold Lauder: outcast-nerd-turned-turncoat; in the miniseries. He also used to be Parker Lewis. “Not a problem. ?”)
Anyway, forget The Stand for a minute and let’s just go back to the sensationalism of the coverage of the Flu. From what reports would have you believe, death-rates are high (like 10%+) and we’re all screwed. Joe Biden didn’t help things this morning by stating public caution.
But really, I wish people would just stop watching TV coverage of this and just become aware of the facts and just go about their lives. The flu sucks and is known to be deadly… But unless people start showing severe symptoms and start dropping dead in mass in New York instead of showing only mild symptoms… Well, it’s a panic that seems straight out of a work of fiction.
…And to be honest, King’s work of fiction was a lot better than the news coverage we are seeing in reality.
Let me point to it again — read the articles here. If you only want to spend time reading a single article, read the fourth in that series. And calm the hell down!
Yes it is the STAND, Captain Trips’ and all.( Do you remeber that the Government down played that, in the book ,too?) Any —hoooo…………..this was one of my favorite books , just like Led’s , Tangerine! Well , anyway , SVS Obhama, u have ur hands full!
I just watched the Stand in Cable Yesterday, in the beginning of the Movie when Molly Ringwalds character is listening to the radio with her Father, they announce the name of the Super Flu – and call it THE SWINE FLU! This movie was made in like 1994, Anyone else see this????
I to was watching the stand agian recently being a huge S.King fan, and i could not belive my ears when they called the captin Tripps/ Project Blue THE SWINE FLU!!!!!!
You gotta wonder where King (who did the screenplay) pulled that from way-back-when.