Talking about Mumbo Jumbo in class, the reoccurring theme has come up that the plague the adults are so afraid of isn't a virus like it's described, but a metaphor for older generations being afraid of pop culture and youth.
This idea can be supported by several points in Mumbo Jumbo. First and foremost to me is that Reed describes it as an anti-plague. It gives life to people and makes them dance and sing and kind of have a good time if you think about it. Thinking of a plague that has this effect reminds me of when you're listening to music and you just can't help but groove a little. It's just a kind of subconscious reaction to a sick beat. So, when assuming and considering this is music and dancing adults don't approve of, it'd be embarrassing to start randomly dancing and easier to blame it on some disease.
Knowing that this "plague" is not old or unheard of further supports it being a fear of youth culture. In the book the plague is described as something generations have known of and parent after parent has dealt with. To me, this sounds like the trend you see when looking at adults first hating the waltz, jazz, rock and roll, anything that is new to them and involves closer contact between youths. This plague could reasonably be passed on through generations because of the predictability of teenagers wanting to be rebellious.
That's all I have so far with this idea, but I'm quite attached to the idea of the entire sickness just being youth culture and rebellion.
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