In this live episode of the Dennis Prager Show, recorded March 13, 2020, Prager engages callers on several themes. He begins by acknowledging a listener’s phrase, “If nothing’s horrific, then life is terrific,” using it to illustrate a happiness‑focused outlook and to highlight the unique pressures of being a public figure. A caller (Speaker A) questions why the coronavirus elicits far more panic than the seasonal flu, citing the lack of a vaccine, the concept of herd immunity, and the relatively low flu‑shot uptake despite significant flu mortality. Prager probes the caller’s personal experience, noting that many Americans skip flu shots, and asks whether the caller would take a COVID‑19 vaccine if available. Another caller (Speaker D) introduces the term “pre‑traumatic stress disorder” to describe the nation’s anxiety before any actual trauma, exemplified by panic‑buying. Throughout, Prager maintains a conversational, inquisitive tone, balancing skepticism of panic with an optimistic “happiness hour” motif.
Chapters
If nothing's horrific, then life is terrific.
Somebody wrote me, by the way, why don't I give credit to the person who came up with that, uh, uh, that statement. And I do. I did. So, you, you know, they often say that the, the non-super wealthy can not imagine what the life of the super wealthy is like. I don't agree with that, but I can say that if you're a public figure, you cannot imagine what being a public figure is like because normal people don't get so much reaction to them as a public figure does. It's not good, bad, it just is. So the amount of things that I, I get in emails that are so fascinating and insightful into you, into human beings— there are people often, not always by any means, will just make things up. The amount that people get wrong, and not deliberately, like this person didn't write me this email to insult me. I mean, he was annoyed, maybe he wanted to insult me, but he really believed that— and I think he didn't— did you see the emails? Didn't he give a name of somebody? It was so interesting. I am very, by the way, I'm passionate— I'm sorry? He sent audio? Oh, I didn't see that. Did you see it? Yeah, he sent an audio? Of what? Of somebody saying if life is horrific, if nothing's horrific life.
I look at everything through that lens that everything is so special and a miracle, but through it all, I really got a different perspective on life and it made me happier. The experience made me happier and I sometimes have a hard time with friends who have depression and stuff because I can never get there, but I've also said, you know, if there's nothing horrific, you have to view life as being terrific.
When was that? That's good, by the way. That rhymes. Oh, well, look at that. So that was me responding to that. Hey, that's good, by the way. That— well then, hey, wait, then the guy turns out right. I didn't make it up. If there's nothing like that, you have to view life as terrific. It's a— I see, you say it's a collaboration. Yeah, but I got— it's not what she said, that's true. No, no, no, that's fair, the guy's right. How do you like— well, the guy's largely right. How do you like that? Look, I am so passionate about telling you the truth that if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I never claim to always be right, but I do claim to always tell the truth. So I heard her say it. And then I put it together. So yeah, it's a sort of collaboration. Who was the woman? It was a caller? Oh, how do you like that? I got a lot of great stuff from callers. All right, there you go. More than happy to say I got it from a caller. It doesn't matter to me. Anyway, this is a great example of the, This is a great example of that point. See, when this is over, people will go, oh wow, is it great to be back with people, is it great to be back at having public events. But when we had public events and people were with people, then we didn't celebrate it. Maybe that should be perhaps the Happiness Hour theme. I, I do feel it. I am stunned when nothing is— nothing terrible is happening. I am pleasantly stunned. I think that's what I'll make as the, the Happiness Hour theme. All right, let's see. Okay, Dan in Cleveland. Hello, Dan.
Hey, Dennis, thanks for having me on.
Yes, sir.
Um, I wanted to comment on why there is this panic over the coronavirus and not so much the flu virus. And, uh, I think it has to do with the vaccination factor. We have vaccinations for the flu, and if you really don't want to get the flu, you can get vaccinated. And it's something we've dealt with for a while, but there is no vaccine for this yet. And, uh, there's actually something called herd immunity. I don't know if you're familiar with that. Um, I'm not going to do a great job of explaining it, but I'm sure you can find a better explanation. If a certain amount of people are vaccinated, let's say measles, um, enough people get vaccinated, we effectively eradicate that disease. So with the measles, with the anti-vaxxers, um, measles has come back a little bit because we don't have that herd immunity. So that is something we strive for with the flu, uh, every year. And I think in a sense we don't take take the flu as seriously as we should. I mean, 20,000 deaths is no joke.
Well, the bigger question from, based on what you say, is what percentage of Americans get the flu shot?
Yeah, I don't get the flu shot, so I'm a bad example, but—
Well, no, you're a bad example of what you said, but you're a good example of the reality. Most people don't get a flu shot.
Right.
So, all right, well, wait, wait. So then it— So how do you, uh, how do you square that fact with your belief that the reason people don't fear flu as much is that they get flu shots? But you don't get a flu shot and you don't fear the flu.
Yeah, I also don't— I have never gotten the flu, so that's why I haven't. Maybe if I get the flu, I'll be more apt.
If there were a shot against COVID-19, would you take that shot?
Yeah, I would take it.
Yeah, okay, that's interesting. Uh, not, uh, it's just interesting. I'm not extrapolating, uh, all that much, uh, for— from it. Thank you. Uh, okay, let's go to, uh, Tim in Woodstock, Illinois. Hi.
Hi, Dennis.
Thanks for taking my call. You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, and a phrase has kind of popped into my head that I think of it as pre-traumatic stress disorder that the country seems to be suffering from. It's like when you, when you have the stress disorder before the trauma even happens. And it seems to me it's really with people running out and clearing the shelves. I was at the store this morning.
Yeah, hold on, I got to take a break. Pre-traumatic stress disorder. We'll be back. The Dennis Prager Show, live from the Relief Factor Pain Free Studio.
