12:00 Dose of Ebolology: "Those People"

I was disturbed greatly by two things more than any other in the recent days. These things held up a cultural mirror, and I didn't like what we saw. 1.) "Why are we bringing THOSE PEOPLE" here? Why are we risking our safety for "THOSE PEOPLE"?; and 2.) The within-24 hour response of 400,000+ petitioners to save Excalibur the dog, who was euthanized for his contact with an infected nurse in Spain. Now, I love dogs. Really, I do. I think Excalibur should have been quarantined rather than euthanized. This isn't about Excalibur, though. This is about months and months of silence as human beings were dying, and 400,000 people mobilized by a Western woman's dog. Just let that one sink in for a moment.

(Photo by Sergio Perez/Reuters)

THOSE PEOPLE are now "we people" (ie, Americans). Think that one through. I know the tendency is to blame "those people" for the fact that we are now "those people", but in reality...there are just sick people. Sick people whose only offense was having the bad coin flip to be born where there would one day be a terrible disease outbreak, or whose crime was TRYING TO HELP those who were already sick.  This is not about race. This is about affluence and poverty.