Wake up to history. The Spanish Flu has always been our model for this pandemic.

“Do not think you are entitled to special privileges”
— 1918 Spanish Flu Guidance

People are NOW making Spanish flu comparisons that everyone can understand the relevance of. 18 months ago they could not be bothered to understand why people like me were talking about the present-day parallels with the Spanish flu.

Better late than never, but this world is reeling. We need to learn from history — faster.

The Spanish Flu was helping me make early sense of the pandemic as I wrote here.

It’s important for our understanding to note how today’s pandemic might also differ from the Spanish Flu as a model…

…namely, this is particular globo-politico-socio-technological moment in which we live.

Here’s how I’d wrap it up. We are not only facing a Spanish Flu situation but it’s impact is being compounded by a newly dangerous and destructive environment.

Anastasia Ashman

Anastasia Ashman has built a portfolio career across publishing, entertainment, technology, entrepreneurship and civic life in four countries. She now writes, researches, works on neighborhood readiness, and is developing the narrative nonfiction project Family of Mine.

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