Ebola: Victims, Heroes and a Cynical Western Media
by @zizii2
US mid-term elections are over. The GOP and corporate media allies Willie-Horton-like exploitation of the Ebola disease to gin up stratospheric fear has suddenly vanished from our airwaves.
Over in Europe, rightwing xenophobic politicians are copying the GOP playbook.
West African travelers and immigrants to Europe and the US are facing the full brunt of media-sanctioned hysteria, as the ugly stench of racism wafts in the air disguised as health and safety protocols.
Lives Matter
What remains in the wake of this cynical media blaze in the West, are the shattered lives of real victims battling the disease epidemic in the 3 West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. There are also the unsung stories of heroes who are working tirelessly to contain, or bury the dead at great risk to their own lives, or often pick up the pieces after families have suffered an aching loss of a loved one to the disease.
Last month, I was struck by the fleeting CNN story of the young student nurse whose entire family contracted the Ebola virus. She could not find a spot for them in the hospital, and thus had to care for them all by herself without the benefit of WHO-approved protective gear. She improvised in protecting herself with a raincoat, garbage bags, socks, wellington boots and a carefully observed regimen that provided her family the love and care needed while avoiding infection herself. Word about her improvisation was quickly spread by overwhelmed health workers.
Continue reading Ebola: Victims, Heroes and a cynical Western Media at:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/11/20/ebola-victims-heroes-and-a-cynical-western-media/#more-186197