Hey, My Generation: Get on Board!

I was in Israel when the news broke. Having been disconnected from what was happening in the world over the past couple of weeks, a few friends and I were sitting in a Tel Aviv hostel when the voice of a CNN anchor started blaring in the background. Outbreak. Swine Flu. Mexico. Death. Almost instantaneously, our cell phones rang only to find four overly cautious mothers on the other end. The message was identical: Wash your hands, avoid sick people, and be careful!



It truly was a frightening time. The death toll continued to rise and what could have remained a “foreign problem” penetrated the seemingly impermeable United States. Tensions ran high causing Vice President Joe Biden to go on the news and reassure the American people of their continued health and safety. With his gift of the gaffe, even after the interview, tensions still ran high.

At least personally, I attributed the hype of the crisis to the sensationalist media and 24-hour news cycle. After all, I was halfway around the world when I heard the news and it was all I heard about. For me, Swine Flu or H1N1 as it has become known, was just another SARS, Anthrax, or West Nile Virus. Sure, the implications were horrible but nothing was hitting close to home. I finished my senior year of high school and spent my summer vacation just as I would any other year.

Five months later, however, the situation changed. As a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley, there was no longer a place for apathy. I saw signs of the flu everywhere. Posters in campus bathrooms read, "How to Avoid the Flu". One of my close friends was diagnosed. Then another. And another. Already a self-professed germ freak, I avoided sickness at all costs. You should have seen the lengths I went to attempting to get in and out of public bathrooms without touching anything and choosing what I deemed to be the "cleanest" trays and silverware in the dining halls. My friends poked fun at me but at least I wasn’t contracting the flu.

My initial apathy and my friends’ teasing are indicative of how this flu is affecting my generation. While some would say that members of my generation are freaking out about H1N1, I would argue that most are not reacting strongly enough. Especially in a college environment with dormitory living, communal bathrooms and eating spaces, we should be freaking out. My generation needs to be more attentive than ever when dealing with health-related issues. Yet, people my age still share food and drinks and infrequently wash their hands.

By juxtaposing the H1N1 crisis with the greater healthcare debate being waged in this nation, the question can be asked: how can I assume members of my generation will make wise healthcare choices in the future if they are already failing to make wise choices regarding their personal health?

President Obama was elected largely because of his appeal to my generation and their active involvement in promoting his candidacy. Yet, our political activism cannot stop there. For healthcare reform to pass in this country, my generation needs to get on board. Four years from now, when we graduate college and join the workforce, many of us will be forced to purchase health insurance of our own. In just four years, the issues being debated now will no longer belong solely to our parents. My generation needs to realize fast that this debate is deeply personal. My fear is that if something as serious as Swine Flu is not triggering this realization, what will?