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LOCAL NEWS
FridayNovember202009



x60
Conservative rhetoric about flu virus sparks outrage
5/2/2009 4:34 PM
By: Bonnie Gonzalez

Estela Farjardo expressed outrage at commentary made recently by conservative talk show hosts.  
When she's not cutting hair at her hair salon, Hair Masters 2000, Owner Estela Farjardo's attention is turned to the news, but some recent developments haven't settled well with her.

"Everything we do is wrong basically. You're doing this, taking the jobs; I mean basically everything, any way you look at it. We're never good for the community," she said.

Farjado expressed outrage at commentary made recently by conservative talk show hosts regarding the spread of H1N1 flu into the United States.

More Information
Related Coverage
More Information

Immigration debate a new symptom of swine flu outbreak, Los Angeles Times

Paranoia pandemic: Conservative media baselessly blame swine flu outbreak on immigrants, Media Matters

Talk radio host Michael Savage has said the Mexican border should be closed immediately and that "illegal aliens are the carriers." Another radio personality, Neal Boortz, has suggested calling the virus the "fajita flu," and CNN's Lou Dobbs called it the "Mexican flu," according to the liberal watchdog group Media Matters.

Like Farjardo, Cynthia Torres, a hairstylist at the salon, is also upset.

"'Oh, don't go to Hispanic places or don't get near Hispanics, because you know Mexican people they're going to have this disease,'" she said. "You know that's a horrible thing to say."

 WATCH THE VIDEO
More Information
Flu Virus Rhetoric

News 8's Bonnie Gonzalez shows us why some talk is not sitting well with the Hispanic community.



Most of the reported cases in the United States are said to have come from travelers returning to the states from Mexico, and not from immigrants coming across the border.

Baylor University Journalism Professor Doug Ferdon said the rhetoric is a bad thing, but big issues bring out many voices, including those of extremists.

"Any slight problem or a great problem becomes greater, and the media covers it a lot, and when you cover it, a lot of voices come out, including also the voices of hate," Ferdon said.

Of the 43 confirmed H1N1 virus cases in Texas, only five are residents of Mexico.  
But like many problems, Ferdon believes it's something that can be fixed.

"It'll take some doing by what I call the leaders—the politicians, the doctors, the journalists to dispel that tension and bring it down to a manageable level," Ferdon said.

Farjardo said people should come together, and no one should focus on blame, but on a solution.

"United States is made up of immigrants, and I think there's opportunity for everybody," Farjado said. "We just got to be united."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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News 8's Jenna Hiller explored the troubled waters in Central Texas and traveled down the Colorado River in search of information. Click on the links to watch, read and interact.

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