Somehow, we all survived the Great Shark Scare, not to mention the panic that bird flu would kill us all in our sleep and that Grand Theft Auto video games would turn our kids into homicidal maniacs.
The point is that media likes to jump on topics and ride them for all they’re worth, so the exposure around the swine flu outbreak of 2009 and the hysteria that’s come with it shouldn’t be surprising. To be fair, though, when Mexico City essentially closes down and the World Health Organization goes on high alert, it’s hard not to go into news overdrive.