Tagged: Swine Flu

Class & Stratification / Political & Economic Sociology

The Inequality and Irony of Free Trade

by socanonymous Due to increasing fears surrounding the spread of the influenza A (H1N1) or Swine Flu, participating countries in bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations are banning pork products and increasing trade restrictions, all in an atempt to contain the virus.  The irony of the situation, as some environmentalists and other critics argue, is that the lax rules and regulations surrounding free trade agreements such as NAFTA are partially to blame for creating the necessary conditions leading to such an...

Political & Economic Sociology / Race & Ethnicity Studies

Fearmongering, Racism, Border Control, and Swine Flu

  “No contact anywhere with an illegal alien!”    “This disgusting blight is because MEXICANS ARE PIGS!”  “It would be easy to bring an altered virus into Mexico, put it in the general population, and have them march across the border.”  These and many other quotes made by individuals in connection  to the recent outbreak of swine flu are reported by Brian Alexander of MSNBC.Com in an article he wrote which posted on Friday.  Alexander argues that the fearmongering and blame have been ever present from everyday citizens blogging...

Opinion

Sociologists, Epidemiologists, Survivors Recall 1918

You may be interested to learn that sociologists frequently work with epidemiologists to share their expertise in understanding human behavior and culture in an effort to reduce the spread and transmission of a whole host of infectious disease such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, or even “Swine Flu.” The recent H1N1 “Swine Flu” epidemic has drawn attention to the last major influenza pandemic which occurred in 1918 – 1920 when an estimated 20-40 million people died worldwide.  In the below articles, a...

Science & Technology / Sociology of Culture / Sociology of Media & Communication

The Mask is the Meaning

by kiddingthecity (on bank holiday weekend) Lately, I performed a browser’s search for “surgical mask”, and I came up with many (more than I expected) interesting fictions. For instance, I learned that in parts of Asia, especially in Japan, it is quite a common thing, and it makes you a good citizen, the preoccupation not to infect your neighbour if you ever feel poor. Or that surgical mask happens to be a designer’s stuff, a fashionable item, with a lot...