Try Something Old

Since the inexorable spread of a comparatively mild infectious disease has elicited a grossly irrational response at all levels of society, it's clear that the bulk of the population are unable or unwilling to apply critical thinking to social issues.

Therefore, we suggest that in addition to the sluggish, incompetent and ineffectual response by authorities (having received a mere 60 years warning from scientists and the military that this situation would eventually, inevitably occur, as a result of the development of rapid mass intercontinental air travel) a public response based on appropriately irrational belief systems should be promoted.

This will, of course, do no good whatsoever and like most such responses will inevitably make things much worse, particularly in the long term. However, in the short term, it may significantly improve the psychological state of the participants, giving them a greater sense of community and having "done something", however pointless and ineffective.

Quite apart from the normal overt victimization of minority groups, for the usual reasons of race, skin colour, height, religion, clothing and fashion choices*, geographic location or language (or non-reasons such as prejudce, stupidity, irrational intolerance and ignorance), the revival of more ancient activities such as ritual human and animal sacrifice - like the immolation of selected individuals in a Wicker Man, or dismemberment on an altar in a stone circle - could be, if not encouraged, at least acquiesced to, by authorities, in the interest of social cohesion and "the greater good", although obviously not greatly to the good of those who actually get sacrificed ...

* It should be pointed out that some fashion choices do actually fully justify not only intolerance, but what is best described as mercy killing.