Contagion Movie » Bloggers During A Pandemic: Voice of Sanity Or Scaremongers?

I watched the “Contagion” movie premiere at Greenbelt last night. Although it is a star-studded humanity-in-peril movie about a lethal virus, it didn’t strike me as entertaining. It just felt rather bland, and it failed to really bite me. For me, it lacks the necessary tension-action twist. But don’t blame me because I’m a Star Wars kind of movie buff.

What caught my attention was Jude Law who played as a kind of mad blogger railing against the pharmaceutical industry and government. His raging posts against big pharmacies and the government turn provocative when people start dropping like zombies.


His character (the blogger named Alan Krumwiede) allows the movie to take digs both at traditional media (described as slow, bias and politically controlled nowadays) and blogging. As the world goes into chaos and the Government tries to control information, Law’s blog posts preaches homeopathic cures and Government cover-up, which provokes riots outside drug stores and health food shops.

 

And yet, what I found interesting was that the movie didn't judge or conclude whether Alan Krumwiede is corect or not. The movie didn’t show whether Alan is necessarily a bad guy. Maybe he was correct all along, who knows?

I love that it's left open for the viewers to decide. Is Alan Krumwiede a voice of sanity in the chaos and dread, or a nutter?

Bloggers: Voice of Sanity Or Scaremongers?   

Although bloggers generally are a selfless lot, many bloggers can be a paranoiac and scaremongers during a pandemic. They can also be a voice of sanity in the chaos and dread. Bloggers, especially those influential bloggers around the blogosphere, have a responsibility to themselves but they also have a responsibility to everyone around them especially to their readers.

Newspapers continue to perform an incredibly important function as informational gatekeepers. But traditional media, as they say is slowly dying. Their articles are sometimes full of their editor’s bias and are always subjected to political maneuverings.

Nowadays blogs could also be journalism – sometimes. There is always this question now whether blogs can be journalism.

I don’t have any answers to these questions. This issue will have to be addressed personally by all professional bloggers and the public.

When a pandemic comes, we will all be faced with hard decisions. Information will be presented to us via newspapers, television, Facebook, Twitter and Blogs.

Which one will you believe?

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Notes and Citations

» "Contagion" (2011) film is released today September 9, 2011.

»  Contagion Movie - Official Website
» Official Contagion Movie Poster

Forrest Gump at the Gates of Heaven

I admit I only got to watch this movie last week (via pirated DVD - shucks, sorry OMB). The movie is really moving. I'm sure you already know the whole Forrest Gump story . 

I'm deleting my old e-mails and by chance I came across this old joke about Forrest Gump. It lighten my boring Saturday so I want to share it with you guys.

Here's the story:

Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself.

However, the gates are closed and Forrest approaches the Gatekeeper.


St. Peter says, "Well, Forrest, it's certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we've been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven."

Forrest responds, "It shor is good to be here St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever tolt me about any entrance exam. Shor hope the test ain't too hard; life was a big enough test as it was."

St. Peter goes on, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.

First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
Second: How many seconds are there in a year?
Third: What is God's first name?"

Forrest leaves to think the questions over.

He returns the next day and sees St. Peter who waves him up and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers."

Forrest says, "Well, the first one- which two days in the week begin With the letter "T"? Shucks, that one's easy. That'd be Today and Tomorrow."

The Saint's eyes open wide and he exclaims, "Forrest, that's not what I was thinking, but .....you do have a point, and I guess I didn't specify, so I'll give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asks St.Peter. "How many seconds in a year?"

"Now that one's harder," says Forrest, "but I thunk and thunk about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve."

Astounded, St. Peter says, "Twelve? Twelve!? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"

Forest says "Shucks, there's gotta be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd. . ." "Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you're going with this, and see your point, though that wasn't quite what I had in mind..... but I'll have to give you credit for that one, too. Let's go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name"?

"Sure" Forrest replied, "its Andy."

"Andy?!" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St. Peter. "Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?"

"Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from school. . . . ANDY NAME OF THE FATHER, OF THE SON?.."

St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates and said: "Run Forrest, run!"

What 'ya gonna do with those books?

Somebody asked me, what you gonna do with those books after reading them? Hmm well, usually I just stack them and go over it and browse it again when I need some stuff for school.
But most of the time, I just forget about them and can't even remember the title and the author. I really can't rely on my memory.
So, I guess the better thing to do with it is for me to write some review about those books (I guess I should also include movies) and post it on the net. I guess this will also help me a lot in my studies coz next semester I will be doing the bloody thesis manuscript writing.
Therefore, I guess another blog about it will do - and I decided to name it The Geek Bookworm. Hmmm, I'm becoming a heavy blogger now. I don't have posts yet, but here's the link : http://geekbookworm.blogspot.com/