The Brain Rabies Epidemic

Do Your Part to Stop the Spread of the Disease!

Today, we face an epidemic unlike any we have ever faced before. It crosses borders, it infests and spreads and the smartest minds in the world are utterly perplexed in how to deal with such an onslaught. In fact, many of their prescribed methods in dealing with it are completely inadequate, and actually helps spread the disease. Our leaders seem ambivalent about addressing the epidemic, and some even suffer from the affliction.

Of course, I’m talking about the horrible disease of Brain Rabies.

Those that have the virus cross every demographic, spans the political spectrum and it is spreading across the globe. Donald Trump is a perfect example of someone experiencing many of the symptoms of the illness; in fact, he may actually be Brain Rabies’ “Typhoid Mary.” RFK Jr. is another example. The entire communities on Bluesky and Truth Social are suspected of harboring and spreading the virus, ensuring a constant and steady stream of hosts that are like online petri dishes for the virus itself. As a result, rates are on the rise and are expected to continually increase over the next several years. To understand what Brain Rabies is, we have to look at something similar first.

Rabies is a potentially fatal viral disease that affects the nervous system. Primarily, it’s spread through the saliva of infected animals. Symptoms are pain or numbness at the bite site, fatigue, headache and fever. Later stage symptoms include aggression, paralysis, confusion and difficulty breathing. The disease actually makes it’s host lash out at others who may be trying to help, or create paranoia and anxiety in the afflicted towards those treating the disease.

However, today, rabies is entirely curable. It was one of the first diseases from which we had vaccination treatments, created by famed scientist Louis Pasteur. These days, if bitten by a rabid animal, a couple of shots is all it takes to be immunized and treated agasinst the infection.

“Brain rabies” is a different virus altogether, but the symptoms are similar, even identical, and it uniquely attacks humans. People may seem normal but mentally and emotionallyexhibit all the symptoms and behaiors of someone with rabies. Afflicted experience pain, stress, fatigue, and headaches, which in turn leads to aggression, confusion, paranoia and anxiety. Victims actively pursue identifying an external source for the root cause of all their problems and uncharacteristically and vehemently attack them. It typically manifests itself in the unquenchable, required need for those individuals to respond and comment on EVERY comment online of which they may agree or disagree; quite simply, they can’t let anything just go by without saying SOMETHING about it, usually in a selfish and cynical retort of some kind. Those root causes may change rapidly from hour to hour, day to day, based on what is being talked about socially, but the magnitude and volume of the aggressive behavior remains constant. The assault is at first verbal and indirect, escalating in tone and direction until it reaches a point where physical blows would seem imminent and others have to step in.

Objective truths and experiences do nothing to slow the spread of the virus. In fact, the extreme opposition to those trying to talk victims down usually results in more nonsensical, irrational thinking and behavior by the diseased, which in turn only spreads the virus. Quite often, those immediately stepping in get afflicted with the disease itself, lose objectivity and become more irrational themselves and quickly multiply the spread of the disease. Now, at this point it is often common for doctors and intelligentsia to step in and talk the victim down and treat the disease. What makes Brain Rabies so pernicious is that 1) the afflicted often associate those treating them with the cause of their problems, 2) doctors often have conflicting opinions in how to treat the disease, and 3) quite often, the educated elite suffer from a varying strain of the virus itself, which manifests itself in the same way but in more socially acceptable behaviors. To date, there is no known bona fide treatment, though some remedial steps may be taken.

For starters, disconnecting to social media and siloed news programming is a good start. Removing from the victims sources of their root anxieties usually has a positive effect. Also, actively using platforms’ “Mute” and “Block” buttons help contain the spread of the disease. The most effective form of treatment is to outright ignore the ravings altogether; afflicted individuals crave and feel emboldened by the attention they receive, including by those trying to help them come back to normal; turning a collective cold shoulder to them seems to result in the infected realizing they need to change their behaviors, bolstering the immunoresponse (though it has been known to backfire as victims can also escalate in tone and magnitude as well, so be careful). Also, substituting online presence by phone or laptop with actual engaging activities, particularly outside (now that it is summer especially) can go a long way to making the patient feel better, more relaxed, and remove many of the anxieties that perpetuate the disease.

It’s important as a society to slow the spread of this epidemic and you can do your part. Take the time to get away from your social media, your siloed news programming, your typical online sources, put the phone down and go outside to enjoy your lives. The more you can get away from those shouting, raving afflicted helping spread the disease, the better you’ll feel and the more you’ll appreciate your own situations in life. The more you can do your part to contain the virus, the better we’ll all be.

And for God sakes, quit reposting anything said by Trump on Truth Social; you’re only spreading the disease. None of it ever makes sense, all of it is just the rantings of a lunatic, and rarely is it based on anything factual at all. If he were anyone else but the President of the United States, you’d say the person were crazy and that the caretakers at the old folks home should take away his iPhone. Reposting his ravings just so you can make a snide comment only provides the opportunity for the virus to spread. Do better—ignore him altogether.

God bless.

PurpleAmerica’s Cultural Corner

The inspiration for this post was actually last week when I was scrolling through channels and saw that Cujo was on, so I watched some of it. I had read the book and seen the film in the ‘80s but hadn’t watched much of it since then. Admittedly, the movie is pretty outdated in style. However, the book was exceptionally written by Stephen King and remains one of my favorites. What I particularly remember about it is how at times he takes the narrative POV of the rabid dog, and how he views every person he sees. For instance, he sees his owner, and judges him as the source of all of his problems and pain and suffering, and then sets about attacking him. Then I thought, this is not unlike many of the ideas online where people look at what someone wrote and instantly attack it because of it’s perceived antagonism.

As for Cujo, here’s a clip of the movie for your viewing pleasure. I’d say its due for a remake.

PurpleAmerica’s Obscure Fact of the Day

The boy bitten by a rabid dog and taken to Louis Pasteur, which led to the first rabies vaccine, became a caretaker at the Pasteur Institute. At the start of WWII when the Nazis came to scour the building, he chose suicide rather than let the Nazis into the crypt where Pasteur’s remains were.

Also, for those who don’t get the reference picture at the top of the page, it’s from “Old Yeller.” I realize Gen Z and many Millenials won’t get the reference, but at the end of the film, Old Yeller has to be put down because he’s gone rabid.

PurpleAmerica’s Final Word on the Subject

Do your part to stop the spread of Brain Rabies today.

—PurpleAmerica

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Footnotes and Fun Stuff