Mass Hysteria And Our Imaginary World
There is a world outside of ourselves but we often replace it with our imaginary world.
Now that we have a real flu outbreak that may or may not turn nasty, it’s a good time to look at a couple of imaginary illnesses that gripped small communities in the not too distant past. We should take note that the internet has made the whole world a small community, ripe for the effects of the next outbreak of threats to our wellbeing.
In 1983 some people who lived in the area of the Jordan West Bank started getting pains in the head and stomach regions and suffering fainting spells. Around this time rumors of poison gas attacks aimed at Palestinians were circulating in the area. One batch of sixty-four people sought medical help after a passing car with a wonky exhaust, fuelled stories of a gas attack. No real evidence of gas attacks was ever found.
In 1988 at Atlanta, Georgia a bunch of chatting parents started and perpetuated talk of the school building being responsible for a general failing f health amongst students. A couple of minor gas leaks at the school over a period of about a month didn’t help matters. Eventually things settled down without any students reporting symptoms their parents were expecting.
What we learn from these stories is that imaginary symptoms of illness can destroy relationships and self esteem just as surely as real illness can destroy lives. Another aspect to mass hysteria is “mean world syndrome” that affects people if their perception of the world is overly influenced by what they take in as they sit in front of the television.