This is pretty transparent: The Washington Post has a piece today on how Boston refused to close the schools during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic and children died as a result. (Note also that the woke Post doesn’t refer to the Spanish flu as the Spanish flu anymore.)
Boston refused to close schools during the 1918 flu. Then children began to die. https://t.co/36Zth46jc0
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 11, 2020
“The children are actually better off in school than at home, a Boston school official argued a century ago.” That might have been the wrong call, as is comparing the Spanish flu to COVID-19.
Not the same virus
— Donnell Wilson (@Nelford) August 11, 2020
Go to page 16 to see how many children have died from the coronavirus in Massachusetts (spoiler alert: zero) https://t.co/6ouJh5ghQ4
— Allan (@AllanRicharz) August 11, 2020
Covid however does not appear to affect kids.
Your journalism is blatantly dishonest in making such comparison
— David Dent (@DMDent) August 11, 2020
It is hard to make good historical disease comparisons because there are usually so many difficult confounders. But this is particularly not a very apt comparison. The 1918 flu was uniquely deadly for young healthy people, COVID-19 is not.
— Dan Gallo (@DanGallofam) August 11, 2020
These are two wildly different diseases, one relatively spares kids and the other was extremely dangerous to them. This headline is irresponsible.
— Rando Robinson (@BeardBouzouk) August 11, 2020
The is the one of the most despicable things I have ever seen a newspaper do.
— PastaMonkey (@monkey_pasta) August 11, 2020
Recommended
This is incredibly dishonest. That was a different disease that specifically was difficult on young healthy people. Comparing that to a disease that is almost exclusively dangerous only to the very old and infirm is deeply irresponsible and the Post should be ashamed.
— Eric Newbury (@newbury_eric) August 11, 2020
The Spanish Flu was much, much more lethal to younger populations though. Everyone knows this, except you apparently. You are losing credibility by the minute.
— Harry (@harry12516) August 11, 2020
The pathology of the 1918 virus was entirely different from COVID. More lethal to younger people with stronger immune systems via cytokine storms. Sorry if that harshes the narrative you are pushing
— Samuel Adams (@SamACKAdams) August 11, 2020
Kids have a higher chance of dying by lightning than COVID, but go on…
— Robert Myers (@Rondo2) August 11, 2020
Panic porn at its best.
— ApoSa (@ApoSa888) August 11, 2020
How dare unrelated events occur!
— The Daily Rant (@TDailyRant) August 11, 2020
Because living, medical, and environmental conditions 100 years ago were similar?
— Tom Traut (@BakoTom) August 11, 2020
Ummm… yes because in 102 years medical advancements have gone no where and you can easily make a direct correlation between these 2 events.
— Jeff (@cooch70) August 11, 2020
The situation is completely different this time. It was young people who died during the Spanish flu. Now it is old people who is dying.
— Gudde (@gudde111) August 11, 2020
I mean…of all the incredible low points from the Washington Post, this might be the lowest?
The 1918 flu was a completely different virus that was known for causing serious illness and death in younger age groups. Covid is the opposite.
This is just…atrocious https://t.co/aPAGiSw4s6
— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) August 11, 2020
The Black Plague killed millions of people across Europe. Any other non-comparable diseases you'd like to use as precedent for covid, intrepid journalisming experts? https://t.co/HrN92Og2MU
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 11, 2020
According to the experts, we aren't supposed to compare this virus to the flu!
— ?? Katie Yonke ?? (@JKHomestead) August 11, 2020
Flu is way more dangerous to children than Covid. It doesn’t compare.
— Stephen Nix (@Stephen_Nix) August 11, 2020
Well it’s a good thing COVID isn’t the Spanish Flu, right?
— argyleumbrella (@argyleumbrella) August 11, 2020
Not comparable of course. Influenza and covid-19 affect children differently. Closing schools should seriously be considered due to any risk to children, but not based on broad, spurious comparisons to other diseases.
— Moe Cow (@pizzasaber) August 11, 2020
Too bad they didn't have antibiotics for the secondary infections that killed most during that pandemic.
— A (@alwaysassume) August 11, 2020
Yellow journalism spreading baseless fears.
— Serious Cat (@SeriousCat5000) August 11, 2020
Probably the most ridiculous hot take I've seen yet
— Randy Stewart (@RandyS1180) August 11, 2020
The left wing propaganda machine has started. Always against any decision good for America. The Spanish flu is not comparable to Covid-19
— DannyDaSwede (@DannyDaSwede) August 11, 2020
Apples and oranges. Learn to code, science deniers.
— Mostly Peaceful Spider-Ken (@SpiderKenX) August 11, 2020
One of the more inept medical analogies you're likely to see today … from The @WashingtonPost, of course.
— Beau Jaxe (@BeauJaxe) August 11, 2020
Related:
Coffins in tow, NYC teachers fearing for their health and safety gather in large group to protest being expected to do their jobs https://t.co/1X1uUdbKGE
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 5, 2020