David Wallace-Wells’s recent article in the New York Times, “How COVID Remade America,” suggests that the COVID pandemic completely upended our national culture and politics – almost entirely in negative ways.
The 1957 influenza had a typical influenza mortality curve, ie, those at most risk of dying were under one year of age and, especially, the elderly. So, while the number of deaths was unusually high, it's impact on the population fit the pattern of most influenzas (1918 of course excepted), and perhaps that also helps account for the un-panicked reaction? Both the 1918 and 2020 episodes involved numerous stories about and much fear for people of all ages (though Covid eventually turned out to be a much bigger risk for the aged, also).
I also wonder about the indirect effects of diminished leadership, specifically as a result of foreign policy failures? This is quite speculative, admittedly, and one would need a much broader survey of cases to even begin to discern a pattern of any kind, but as a beginning, in both 1918 and 2020 the US was embroiled in the very tail end of unhappy wars. And in both episodes, those wars had begun with much emotion and very high hopes of what would be accomplished. During those wars the level of suspicion and distrust Americans had for each other was similarly quite high (I'm thinking of the revulsion against all things German, or less-than-100%-American in WWI; the anger towards opponents of the Iraq War by supporters, and the fear of Bush-syle "fascism" and "imperialism" by opponents).
The experience of WWII was qute different of course, as was the reputation of scientists coming out of that war (especially as a result of penicillin and the Manhattan Project).
Of course, attributing the lack of panic to the 1957 influenza to the leftover glow of World War II requires skipping over the Korean War as if it didn't happen. But, measured by its cultural effects, perhaps that's not as anachronistic as it seems.
Thanks for these thoughtful comments, John. I like your analysis, and I think that you're probably right about some of the reasons why Americans' reaction to the flu pandemic of 1957 was markedly different from American reactions to the flu pandemic of 1918-19 or the COVID pandemic of 2020.
A couple things to add, tentatively however.
The 1957 influenza had a typical influenza mortality curve, ie, those at most risk of dying were under one year of age and, especially, the elderly. So, while the number of deaths was unusually high, it's impact on the population fit the pattern of most influenzas (1918 of course excepted), and perhaps that also helps account for the un-panicked reaction? Both the 1918 and 2020 episodes involved numerous stories about and much fear for people of all ages (though Covid eventually turned out to be a much bigger risk for the aged, also).
I also wonder about the indirect effects of diminished leadership, specifically as a result of foreign policy failures? This is quite speculative, admittedly, and one would need a much broader survey of cases to even begin to discern a pattern of any kind, but as a beginning, in both 1918 and 2020 the US was embroiled in the very tail end of unhappy wars. And in both episodes, those wars had begun with much emotion and very high hopes of what would be accomplished. During those wars the level of suspicion and distrust Americans had for each other was similarly quite high (I'm thinking of the revulsion against all things German, or less-than-100%-American in WWI; the anger towards opponents of the Iraq War by supporters, and the fear of Bush-syle "fascism" and "imperialism" by opponents).
The experience of WWII was qute different of course, as was the reputation of scientists coming out of that war (especially as a result of penicillin and the Manhattan Project).
Of course, attributing the lack of panic to the 1957 influenza to the leftover glow of World War II requires skipping over the Korean War as if it didn't happen. But, measured by its cultural effects, perhaps that's not as anachronistic as it seems.
Thanks for these thoughtful comments, John. I like your analysis, and I think that you're probably right about some of the reasons why Americans' reaction to the flu pandemic of 1957 was markedly different from American reactions to the flu pandemic of 1918-19 or the COVID pandemic of 2020.