Our stiff upper lip has wilted under hysteria over swine flu
The British way of doing things is sadly in decline. The stiff upper lip has wilted.
Last century we were the epitome of common sense, taking everything in our stride, and batting it back with vim and vigour.
Nowadays we are a nation on the brink of hysteria at the slightest hint of the unknown.
I am not making light of the ongoing concern about swine flu. It is something to be aware of, and to take proper precautions against.
But the past eight weeks have seen a public response which disproportionate to the situation.
In 1939 the British government produced a poster that was never actually used until it was rediscovered in 2000. It bore a slogan that perfectly sums up the stoicism of our ancestors: 'Keep Calm and Carry On'.
The poster had been created in case of Nazi invasion and was designed as 'a worst-case scenario', with the hope it would stiffen resolve.
From TV, sound advice from the last century includes Lance Corporal Jack Jones in Dad's Army and his catchphrase 'Don't Panic!'
The same words adorned the cover of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The message nicely used to sum up the British way – but not any more.
The kneejerk reaction to swine flu has turned us into a mass of quivering wrecks, treating anyone with the slightest sniffle with suspicion.
Some newspaper reports have been irresponsible at best, and scare-mongering at worst. Given the front pages of some of the tabloids you would think that we're all destined for the mortuary by the end of August.
The flu death statistics of the past ten years make fascinating reading. Thousands die of 'normal' flu every year. Their bodies simply cannot hack it and they often suffer from underlying health problems, which means their immune system cannot cope.
In the winter of 1999/2000, just under 21,000 people in the UK died of flu. Not swine flu or any other kind of flu, but run-of-the mill flu.
These stats rather suggest the current ballyhoo is unnecessary, and this is being stoked up by certain elements of the media in their quest for increased sales, viewers or listeners.
I recently heard an interview with Harry Patch. Recently deceased, Harry was the last survivor of the first world war trenches.
He detailed the horrors he and his comrades endured in battle. They did this with courage, resolve and no complaint – a set of values we, today, sadly lack when the going gets tough.
We have become a nation of panickers. It's all rather embarrassing. Lance Corporal Jones would be less than impressed.
* Mrs B was recently reduced to a blubbering wreck when Little B's last day at Chichester Nursery School was marked by a wonderful presentation ceremony for all the leavers.
To headteacher extraordinaire Candy Daffern, and to Little B's fabulous key worker Debbie Chambers, along with all the wonderful, dedicated and inspirational members of the team, THANK YOU!
You've given our little girl the best start to her education we could have possibly wished for.
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Weather for Chichester
Wednesday 30 May 2012
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