vi-ral |ˈvīrəl|adjective1 of the nature of, caused by, or relating to a virus or viruses.2 of or involving the rapid spread of information about a product or service by viral marketing techniques : a viral video ad.DERIVATIVESvirally adverb
Whether good or bad, spreading or failing to spread, these cartoons and associated comments on viral matters should evoke a range of responses, mostly negative. Among them, thoughtful readers of this blog may also find a chuckle or two.
Whether good or bad, spreading or failing to spread, these cartoons and associated comments on viral matters should evoke a range of responses, mostly negative. Among them, thoughtful readers of this blog may also find a chuckle or two.
1. Viral Ignorance - raison d'être and an example
Some political and religious "leaders" rely on the proliferation of ignorance. Wrapping themselves in the flag, the Bible, or both they whip the ignorant into a frenzy to shift attention away from their self-serving, divisive agendas. Like a real virus, viral ignorance mutates rapidly making it difficult to eradicate.
One current mutation promotes a paranoid, anti-immigrant agenda. Leaders of the rabid-right feed their paranoid and ignorant base an insidious stream of unfounded fears about a real virus, ebola, which does not spread easily. They spread their lies on FOX "News" with a chaser of artificially sweetened tea.
2. An Iron Dome Protecting Weaponry
The NRA has successfully cultivated viral ignorance to shoot down any and all attempts to enact reasonable gun-control legislation. In the meantime, gun violence has spread to epidemic proportions in America.
The potency of viral ignorance becomes clear when one realizes that even James Brady, press secretary for the right-wing's ersatz saint, Ronald Reagan, was unable to dent the shield the NRA has erected around its self-serving, wholly fabricated, interpretation of second amendment rights.
3. Benign Viral Payload
The structure of a typical discussion on Facebook is shaped by the DNA of the social media virus.
Been there! Done that! Will probably do it again.
4. Malignant Viral Payload
Inside an often jewel-like protein coat, a malignant virus carries a snippet of DNA. This snippet carries the sum and substance of the virus's lineage. The virus injects this material into the healthy cells of a host organism turning them into factories which produce copies of the virus. The infected host can become very sick and may die.
Like malignant viruses, some politicians display a pleasant countenance yet carry a virulent payload containing the essence of an ideological lineage based on hatred and divisiveness. As they smile and claim to care about the country, they inject their ideological DNA into the population, turning infected individuals into factories which spread the malignant strain. The infected country can become very sick and it may die as its social and governmental structures succumb to anarchy.
5. Mutation Misadventure
Once based on facts uncovered by serious investigation, charges that a President has misused his powers in ways which endanger the the nation he has sworn to preserve and protect have mutated through a flirtation with frivolity to outright political farce.
6. A Rogues' Gallery of Malignant Viruses
7. The Greed Virus - invasive, malignant, difficult to eradicate, but lucrative
8. Antiviral Resistance
Through mutation, viruses can develop resistance to once effective treatments. Willful ignorance serves the same function for politicians promoting a toxic ideological agenda.
9. Spontaneous Remission
One can only hope that malignant, political and religious viruses are predisposed to follow this pattern.
10. Quackery
Vaccines and proven treatment protocols can be affective against many viruses. Often, however, treatment requires an infected individual to endure unpleasant side effects.
Seeking an easier path to health, many individuals turn to the nostrums offered by charlatans promoting snake oil cures via the airwaves.
