This week’s editorial cartoon was created on the topic of Influenza A(H1N1), also known as “Swine Flu”.The cartoon, titled Porky The Swine, includes various Looney Tunes characters. It describes Porky the Pig resting in bed due to the common seasonal flu, with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer J. Fudd by his bedside, looking extremely displeased. In the cartoon, both verbal and non-verbal communications of facial expressions are effectively used. Porky tries but fails to convince the rest that he has only been infected with common cold. From the speech bubble, he can be seen to be stuttering, a type of non-fluencies under Paralinguistics. The distrusting expressions reveal a form of non acceptance probably caused by fear in the three characters while they make use of the Organisational Principles of Closure to make the assumption that Porky has been infected by “Swine Flu” because he is a pig.
Editorial cartoons like the above reflect very clearly how the society views the H1N1 influenza. We can draw a parallel between the characters in the cartoon and the real world. Porky represents infected patients or places with numerous reported cases of H1N1; the other characters portray the general public. Even though the official name of the flu has been changed Influenza A(H1N1), it has still being largely referred to as the term “Swine Flu”. The usage of the slang has caused language-based barrier to the public that is particularly misleading. Countries including Russia and China have banned pork imports from Mexico and parts of the United States (places where H1N1 was first discovered) in the belief that meat could spread the flu. Egypt has also made the decision to kill all the country's 300,000 pigs. This has had a disastrous impact on pork sales and pig farmers.
Referring back to the cartoon, facial expressions and weapons in the characters’ hands might be suggesting the society’s over-reaction to the current situation. In the outbreak, Cuba, Ecuador, Argentina and Peru have banned flights going to Mexico. Haiti rejected a Mexican ship last week carrying 77 tons of much-needed food aid because of swine flu fears. Lebanon’s health minister has called for a halt to the national custom of greetings with kisses. Such actions have led the public to organise information provided with the principle of Figure and Ground, as they zoom in on the speed that H1N1 is being spread around the globe and that H1N1 has 11,168 reported cases of infection and caused 86 deaths, yet fail to take into account that Common seasonal flu infects 3 to 5 million and kills up to 500 thousand people a year worldwide.
Although the descent into a global pandemic is not inevitable, I still see the importance for people to be well informed and not deluded by biased information, so that they can stay calm and be well prepared to respond quickly in case the disease evolves.
11 comments:
I think efforts made to establish that the virus is no longer labeled 'swine flu' is already quite effective. Especially so in Singapore where I still see many people who continue to purchase pork-based products.
Temperature taking and the promotion of good hygiene are useful steps in prevention of the virus spread. So I don't really feel that the public is still biased in thinking that kissing should be stopped. It is a necessary precaution. to me.
Fear of the unknown distorts our ability to interept information. Even information is received and understood, paranoia will cause us to err on the safe side. This is even more so true for the typical "Kiasu, Kiasee" Singaporean.
I guess, it will take a long time to erase this distorted first impresson from people's mind.
"Displeased" is putting it mildly. They look like they're about to burn poor Porky Pig on a stake.
I think the picture is trying to satire the paranoia generated by the H1N1 outbreak and the measures taken by some countries' governments. One of such measures was the mass culling of pigs, a similar reaction to the bird flu outbreak a few years back where chickens were culled.
Despite only a certain number of pigs being infected, paranoia caused people to cull many uninfected pigs as well to prevent the spread of the virus. Due to their paranoia, such actions cost pig farmers a great loss in earnings.
I feel that what they were doing was not really right. Instead of tackling the source of the infection or the immediate spreaders of said infection, the pig slaughterers thought that killing off the pigs would stop the "swine flu". They failed to see that it is not the pigs that were traveling to other countries and infecting the local population, but the people that were doing that. Lack of hygienic practices or irresponsible behavior, like traveling when one is sick, that led to the worldwide spread of the infection.
To me, the cartoon is basically quite good because it wants to reach singaporean's audiences and thus with the slang they are using, it also suitable for singaporean people.
Nonverbal and verbal cues, both have their own easiness and difficulties towards the decoder and the encoder. Therefore it will be depends with the targeted audience,
Firstly, i just would like to point out that Porky the Pig stuttering is a character trait and not only because he is unwell.
Secondly, just like every other 'cartoonist column' (i think that is what they call it) all of them try to summarize the headlines and major news with a cartoon illutration which are non-verbal forms of communication. The cartoon was published early on when there was a misconception of the links between H1N1 flu and the PIGS. I guess the cartoonist felt that they could poke some fun into the situation using characters from the loony toons.
Speaking of poking fun, Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had a particular line ("Swine flu, not good) in the movie while going down the elevator shaft. It was a good laugh.
I enjoyed the cartoon very much. Taoism tells its followers to make light of life, and laugh about it. Perhaps, in this time of unceasing pandemics (SARS, avian flu, H1N1 etc), a laugh is really all we need. Be sure to cover your mouth though.
That's a really funny cartoon.Well i feel that when there is a new pandemic, the public is eager to find out more information and find ways to protect themselves. The difference between seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu is that the former has a vaccine whereas the latter hasnt. Also when the virus first started its death toll rised tremendously in a short time. This factors raised public curiousity and thus the coverage for virus increased.
However the coverage was at times confusing, biased and inaccurate. I remember seeing the death toll on BBC as 100 and the next day, uch lesser. Therefore, i feel that Newsmedia around the world should take steps to provide credible and accurate information to its viewers.
Cartoons are made to poke fun at life. While trying to take necessary actions on this whole matter, it wouldn't hurt to just poke fun about this matter. This does not reflect us taking the matter lightly, it is just tryng to be not so uptight about the whole situation. After all, it is better for us to stay calm and composed to think of effective plans to protect ourselves against this pandemic.
But there is some real world reflection. For every paranoid delusional maniac who would run screaming into the night if someone sneezed without covering his mouth, there is a joker who does not even know of the notion of infection. Taking it too seriously is bad, but so is taking it lightly. And from what i can see, most youths who have not been infected are going around thinking that they are totally immune to the disease and even telling jokes about the those who did get infected. I have personally experienced people who ended up in much hardship or suffering because they took a matter too lightly. Infection can strike at any moment.
Yes i second Xamuel's pov. Taking a serious matter too lightly only results in matters getting more serious than we think. In this case with the H1N1, if the infected people do not try to quarantine themselves, or youths who have symptoms but take them lightly, they are actually putting others' lives into danger.
i agree wih Xamuel as well. Using something light hearted such as cartoons not only brings the message across in a simpler way but also makes people realise that there is something going on which they have to be vary of. and non-verbal communication is one of the best ways to bring any message across. when people dont get the message the first time, they are bound to ask around to undertsand what it is all about.
i dont think i would have bothered to read up about H1N1 if not for the fact that colourful things were the one bringing the message across.=)
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