The American Experience: Influenza 1918

[CountryGent]

I remember seeing this episode of PBS' The American Experience some time back and was able to find it on DailyMotion. Just thought I'd pass it along considering contemporary news.

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[Heyjoe]

Bump.

Worth a watch, the parallels are eerily similar to today's situation.

 

[toadfish]

That was a great informative video kind of sounds like the times were going through right now

 

[Stomper]

I remember seeing this episode of PBS' The American Experience some time back and was able to find it on DailyMotion. Just thought I'd pass it along considering contemporary news.

It was all Trump's fault back then, too!!

 

[Heyjoe]

Bump.

Worth a watch, the parallels are eerily similar to today's situation.

Some good examples:

1918: NY health commissioner says risk is low.
Today: NY health commissioner says risk is low.


1918: home remedies like turpentine and honey, garlic.
Today: home remedies like zinc and club soda.



1918:San Fransisco official shoots man not wearing mask.
Today:not wearing a mask is proof you're a covid 19 denier who's not worried about all the people you put at risk. Not sure if individuals have been attacked over wearing/not wearing ppe.


Many others. Interesting how soon we forget the lessons of history.

Things to consider:

What actions did leaders around the world take to mitigate risk? America's leaders?

How about the economy? The documentary talks about empty streets, presumably many thousands (millions?) Out of work. What did the crash/recovery look like?

 

[Provincial]

Our GDP continued to increase in the 1918-1920 period, but not as fast as the preceding years. There was a recession beginning in 1920, so there may have been a delayed effect, but with the disruption caused by the end of WWI, I can't believe there is a link to the flu.

http://www.usstuckonstupid.com/sos_...3.6_73.4_85.4_87_90.6_97_95.5_97.4_103.6_91.2

 

[Hueco]

How about the economy? The documentary talks about empty streets, presumably many thousands (millions?) Out of work. What did the crash/recovery look like?

Our economy (and indeed, the people) were much more resilient back then. Think of the economy as a balance between efficiency and resiliency. Moving from warehouses stocked full of car parts to a Just-In-Time model has drastically increased our efficiency and we've reaped the benefits of that system: namely cheaper prices.

But, now we are in the suck, especially regarding medical supplies. The Just-In-Time model doesn't work well, if at all, for a worldwide pandemic. And as a country, we're seriously hurting this time around.

This event is unlikely to sway a lot of minds of older generations...but to the teens and young people, this will be to them what 9/11 and the 2008 recession was for me and my generation. I think we'll see a turn away from efficiency in favor of resiliency, both at the macro level and at the individual. At least, that's what I hope people get out of this experience.