Kids pulled out of class over concerns about principal's trip to Zambia because...EBOLA!!!111

[uppityperson]

http://www.wapt.com/news/hazlehurst-parents-concerned-with-principals-trip-to-africa/29135134

An enormous crowd of parents pulled their children out of school Wednesday after learning that the Hazlehurst Middle School principal returned to work after a trip to southern Africa.

Principal Lee Wannik traveled to Zambia for his brother’s funeral, which is far from the Ebola hot spot countries on the other side of Africa.

A school official had previously said that Wannik had traveled to Nigeria, a country that has had Ebola cases in the last few months.

"As soon as I got word on Facebook I came and got my (children). I don't know about anybody else, but I am coming to get mine," said parent Candice Swan. Parents said they’re concerned about their children’s health. Some even took their children out of class at the high school....

Zambia, bottom middle. Guinea/Sierra Leone/Liberia, up on the left.

[Marrah_G]

1. This is why misinformation is bad

Ignorance causes panic.

[Louisiana1976]

2. That's ridiculous when Zambia isn't even in the area of the countries affected by Ebola.

[arcane1]

3. It's in Africa, which is all the same thing to idiots.

I still contend that if this disease came from Europe and was called "White-bola" we wouldn't hear a damn thing about it.

[Cali_Democrat]

4. EBOLA!!11!

[JoePhilly]

5. Yea but it spreads from "direct contact" ... and clearly ... all of those

... countries are touching.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. True,

but aren't they near electrons which may have been near someone with Ebola, or at least, aren't we using the same word to describe sub-atomic particles that also make up Ebola?

[Quackers]

6. I think some blame goes to

the school official who said the principle visited Nigeria.

[uppityperson]

11. I agree, that certainly did not help anything.

[Warpy]

7. We have a disease that's far worse than Ebola and it's highly contagious

It's a combination of stupidity, ignorance, and panic.

However, without all the children of the ignorant fuckers in class, maybe teachers can spare time from teaching to the test to give individual attention to the kids who don't have dumb, panicky parents.

[Turbineguy]

9. An enormous crowd of parents

need to take a geography class.

[gratuitous]

10. After the media hyper-fest

I'm surprised more of this kind of fear-driven nonsense isn't happening. But then, it gives the popular media an excuse to cluck disapprovingly and talk about those provincial hicks in the hinterlands, and don't they understand geography and epidemiology and suchlike? Where would "those people" get such outlandish ideas?

[JI7]

12. i wonder if these dumbfuck parents realize they are worse than that Pageant contestant

talking about maps, iraq, africa etc because they don't have the excuse of being nervous in front of people .

[TBF]

13. Do they not study Geography

in Mississippi?

[NickB79]

16. Wouldn't it be ironic if the teacher was a geography teacher?

[eShirl]

14. here in Maine they suspended a teacher for 21 days for going to Dallas

I shit you not
http://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/17/fearing-ebola-strong-elementary-teacher-on-leave-after-traveling-to-dallas/

[uppityperson]

17. I started looking, saw there were too many so have him in my other thread. Incredible.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025691632

Yup, ban people from Dallas.

[Cali_Democrat]

18. This country is beyond repair. nt

[tammywammy]

27. That is ridiculous.

Do some people think all of Dallas has shut down? Or no concept of how far 10 miles is?

I work in Ft Worth, but I'd go stand outside the hospital in Dallas if it would get me a 3 week paid staycation. LOL.

[kestrel91316]

29. [phone] 000

[GeorgeGist]

15. I think 'a school official' needs remedial geography.

[NutmegYankee]

19. The school district has the power to solve this.

Don't allow the absences as excused. Make the kids suffer through detention or other similar punishments for truancy. Ignorance must never be allowed as an excuse.

[Hekate]

20. Br-raai-nnss.... We want br-raai-nnss. The idiocracy strikes again. Thank you, FOX and GOP.

I recommend a public town hall meeting featuring a map of the continent of Africa, overlaid by a map of the US, indicating how very very many miles away from the affected countries Zambia is, and how much bigger than the US Africa is.

But the lecturers should be prepared to exit via a back door to avoid the devoutly ignorant carrying tar and feathers with them.

[Avalux]

21. I shudder to think what might happen in the face of a pandemic that kills thousands.

Oh wait - that would be the flu. EVERY YEAR.

[Thor_MN]

40. Well, flu is from... somewhere, but ebola is from Africa.

In the dog whistle world, that's likely the difference. They have no idea where flu comes from, but ebola is from where "those people" are from...

Besides, they can link it to "that man" in "our" White House..




The stupidity of people astounds me...

[tavernier]

22. I was a watching a movie about Africa

last week. Should I quit my job?

[Rozlee]

25. And don't let me catch you flying either.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

38. Or going on a cruise!

n/t

[Thav]

32. You're obviously infected with

West Nile Ebola Monkey Bird Swine SARS Flu-Pox. You should quarantine yourself in a sealed plastic bag.

[William769]

23. Oy.

[Quayblue]

24. Africa is a country remember?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. Zambia is about 3000 miles from Liberia.

I think a lot of these dumbasses have no idea how big Africa really is, not to mention the fact that it's not a country. So by their logic, if a school employee has recently visited Texas (which is closer than 3000 miles to anyplace in the continental US), all the children must be taken out of that school because OMG, ebola!

I am amazed and disheartened at the level of sheer stupidity-induced fear in this country.

[James48]

28. But...but....

Haven't you heard?


EBOLA has FIVE LETTERS.

OBAMA has FIVE LETTERS.

EBOLA contains the letters "B" and "O".

Obama contains the letters "B" and "O"!

EBOLA ENDS IN THE LETTER "A"!!!!

OBAMA ENDS IN THE LETTER "A"!!!!


Oh MY GOD! OBAMA AND EBOLA EACH HAVE THREE VOWELS!!!!!?!!?!?!!


Could it not be any more CLEAR?


Don't go to the voting booths in November! Obama plans to contaminate all the voting booths in red states with EBOLA virus, and then send the survivors to FEMA camps, where they will take away your guns, and give you HEALTH CARE!

[mercuryblues]

34. You didn't

get the latest memo? Only the republican names on the ticket will be contaminated with the Ebola.

[LibertyLover]

30. My department at work is having its annual

Knowledge Forum (which is usually called a retreat, but this year we're not calling it that because our sister organization, The World Bank, isn't having departmental retreats this year) and our lawyers and legal assistants from our offices all over the world, including South Africa and Senegal, are here. I've hugged that kissed all of them because I haven't seen them in a year and I'm happy to see them now. But I'm not going to mention it to my kid's school because some of those idiots are just as likely to want to have her stay home because her mom was this close to a real, live, honest to goodness African.

[KamaAina]

31. I hope it isn't a geography class

[Solly Mack]

33. :shakes head:

[Yavin4]

35. Most of these same parents would vote to allow guns in the schools

America, America
God shed his grace on thee!

[madfloridian]

36. Map with mileage....thousands of miles apart.

[mb999]

37. Geography has never been our strong point

Many people can't even point out their own state on a map. Plus there's a lot of FEAR mongering by the media with this ebola story.

[YOHABLO]

39. The only thing missing from the title was the state name .. Mississippi .. kind of explains it.

[Quixote1818]

41. Zambia and the infected area are about the same distance as Brazil and Boston, MA. nt

[gerogie2]

42. I wonder if the same parents...

that are against vaccines are the same ones spreading FUD about ebola?

[Nye Bevan]

43. Ridiculous, ignorant stupidity.

"I want 'em out!". Watch and weep.

[daleanime]

44. And how many people have died because of the flu in our great nation?