Older folks around here, imagine if the Coronavirus had hit us in 1977

In some ways it might have been better. People trusted the media, there was no 24 hour news cycle or partisan cable outlets, no social media to push conspiracy theories, etc.

Government also communicated better back then. It issued a statement and guidelines, people accepted it as gospel and followed it. You didn't have every Senator, Congressman, spokes hack, and pundit running for a camera to espouse a conflicting opinion or to jockey for attention. Presidents back then would have a well crafted national "We're all in this together but, we will defeat this threat." address and the pressers we're handled by subject matter experts with real gravitas.

I was snowed in during the Storm of the Century in New England during 1978. As a kid, it was amazing because we got to play in the snow all day. But we were out of school for about two weeks before they could dig out all the snow. We just dealt with it. A neighbor had a 4x4 Jeep and did trips to the grocery store to get everyone supplies. We were used to having crappy network TV and played lots of board games.

No "Mr October".

We would have Pres. Carter embarrassed, and us amused by the high jinks of his drunken redneck brother or by the attack of the killer rabbit.

If this pandemic happened in 1976 we would have gotten a laugh whenever Pres. Ford stumbled getting off an airplane.

Portland Hobby Jogger wrote:

In some ways it might have been better. People trusted the media, there was no 24 hour news cycle or partisan cable outlets, no social media to push conspiracy theories, etc.

Government also communicated better back then. It issued a statement and guidelines, people accepted it as gospel and followed it. You didn't have every Senator, Congressman, spokes hack, and pundit running for a camera to espouse a conflicting opinion or to jockey for attention. Presidents back then would have a well crafted national "We're all in this together but, we will defeat this threat." address and the pressers we're handled by subject matter experts with real gravitas.

This is true. There were 3 main networks where you could watch the nightly news, plus PBS if you were an "intellectual". And while they skewed a little to the left, no one questioned the facts they presented. Same with newspapers. Some were a little to the right and some a little left, but the basic story as presented was not up for debate. The action or reaction to a situation could vary, but not the facts .

The only ones who would question mainstream news were the tin foil hat wearing, John Birch Society types. Now those guys have a world wide megaphone

I delivered newspapers as a young lad then. In every large metro area in U.S., newspapers twice a day, mid-1970s. I delivered the afternoon paper daily and the Sunday morning newspaper. We do not get more news today than we did then. As you stated, we got 24 hour news on radio. TV on most stations went off the air at 1am to 6am except for local stations that showed old tv shows or old movies. I understand the city of St Louis, MO did a great job with 1918 pandemic. Before tv, newspapers x 3 per day.

Every day when governor Cuomo presents the number of infections and deaths I'm brought back to the late 60s when we were given the Vietnam casualties.

China was quite isolated then, the world was poorer with less jet-setting, population maybe half what it is now. The US Government didn’t sue to prevent people from receiving healthcare. As others have said, there have been a lot of changes.

I think as a whole this would of been handled a lot better. You have to figure everyone older than 50 lived through the Spanish flu, WW1 and or WW2. Sure WW1 and the Spanish flu were before 1920 but everyone over 50 in 1977 felt hardships from those events. They lived through the depression also. Social distancing for them would have been nothing. They'd of just done what was required and dealt with it.

I hear ya!

People had to think for themselves back then instead of being brainwashed by the news outlet of their choice.

zoomx83 wrote:

Just image we had a global pandemic in 1977. Before cable, the WWW, cell phones, smart phones.

Sure, that was how it happened during the Spanish Flu, but can you imagine how different things would be ? I almost thing getting information on AM radio, during Special News Bulletins on the networks, and in the newspaper daily would have been better.

A main difference was that the 3 major networks, where most people got their news, pretty much carried the same story and same interpretation of events. I think that led to less over-reaction. Now we have different media sources pushing completely different narratives and interpretations of the same event, and social media makes it ever worse.

And we didn't have all of the politically oriented talk radio and TV programs we have today. There just wasn't all the divisiveness on every issue that we have today. For every single little thing that happens today people try and make it fit into their own world view. Not everything has to have some hidden or underlying meaning.

There was The Swine Flu, and I remember my parents and every one in town went to various places to get the shots for it. My parents went to the mall.

Agree with most of the oldsters here. This pandemic w/o the internet would have been handled much differently. Clearly, because there are so many unknowns we are currently dealing with, I can't/won't say the result would have been better or worse.

The internet and SM have many benefits but, in regards to this pandemic, my personal opinion is that they are not a plus... far too much incorrect information being spread and way too many trolls.... this isn't helping in any way.

I agree with many in that I seem to remember that the networks were more trusted as news sources... I don't remember them feeling left or right, they mostly just reported what was happening. And politicians sounded and seemed more trustworthy. Of course, I was just a kid so perhaps I was just naive.

People would be getting their information from radio and newspaper and the TV for those that wanted less frequent and detailed updates. The response would have more delayed. But this thing also would not have spread around the world so quickly because people didn't travel on planes as much. It would probably be more regional and less global.

jesseriley wrote:

China was quite isolated then, the world was poorer with less jet-setting, population maybe half what it is now. The US Government didn’t sue to prevent people from receiving healthcare. As others have said, there have been a lot of changes.

In 1977, the differences within Democratic Party and Republican Party were greater than differences between political parties.

zoomx83 wrote:

Just image we had a global pandemic in 1977. Before cable, the WWW, cell phones, smart phones.

Sure, that was how it happened during the Spanish Flu, but can you imagine how different things would be ? I almost thing getting information on AM radio, during Special News Bulletins on the networks, and in the newspaper daily would have been better.

With limited information, millions would die.

God just when I thought lets run denizens couldn't possibly get any dumber, along comes this thread.

Unbelievable how many of you nitwits pine for a time of less information from fewer sources, and spoon-fed direction form the government. Please oh please master politicians, geniuses that you are, infallible in thought and deed, come save us, tell us what we need to do! Please CBS/NBC/ABC, tell us just what you think we need to know and not a bit more, because we can't possibly be exposed to facts that might make us scared. Save us from all these ugly opinions from mere common folk! Please oh please all caring and omniscient government workers, incapable as you are at doing pretty much anything efficiently, come take care of us!

There were 100 million less US citizens in 1977. 100 million more today which includes all of you millennial numbskulls. So yeah, we would have done fine back then because we didn't have government boot-lickers like you to contend with.

If it was in 1977, they would not have even noticed it unless they got significant excess deaths from pneumonia. If they had, they would still have suspected influenza and not worried much. It would have run its course and now it would be an obscure reference used by people researching the history of seasonal pneumonia.

RNA sequencing was in its infancy then. There would have been no test. It would have all been over long before anyone could think a test was necessary.

Pappy wrote:

I think as a whole this would of been handled a lot better. You have to figure everyone older than 50 lived through the Spanish flu, WW1 and or WW2. Sure WW1 and the Spanish flu were before 1920 but everyone over 50 in 1977 felt hardships from those events. They lived through the depression also. Social distancing for them would have been nothing. They'd of just done what was required and dealt with it.

If you’re implying that somehow your generation would be more willing to social distance than millennials or other younger generations I’m going to call BS on that. Went for a run today and there were tons of older people (I’m 30), often in groups, going for walks, runs, bike rides, etc.