Is it racist to call the Corona Virus 'The Chinese virus'?

[Anonymous]

Is it racist?

Discuss.

Yes it's racist

No it's fine.

[nightdrot]

Oh good grief. The "Black Death." The "Spanish Flu." "Ebola virus." "Hong Kong flu." "German measles." It is pretty much standard operating practice to identify an illness with where it was first discovered and this has been the case with Covid.

As to whether or not the Chinese are to blame. For the disease per se, no. Evolutionary biology at work and the laws of nature and biochemistry are notoriously indifferent to human will. This regardless of the gender, skin color or whatever else.

In terms of the needlessness of it becoming a pandemic, China VERY much is to blame. It has proved itself - not for the first time really - a third world banana republic tarted up as a modern state.

It's obsession with secrecy. Its inadequate health care system. It's habit, based in its founding ideology, of treating human beings as mere commodities. Its failure to admit foreign experts to examine the phenomenon when it first manifested itself in Wuhan in December.

The list goes on. Of course, it cannot be 100% certain what form and mutation that the microbe might take. Again, environment and evolution will determine that.

Some problems don't have solutions. Rather they are just difficulties that must be managed as best they can be. This is one of those but it was managed badly because a totalitarian regime placed its obsession with prestige over basic common sense.

Thus getting the worst of all possible worlds. Both a rapidly spreading disease - albeit one that is not as dire as the hysteria has made it out to be - and a loss of trust and prestige. Whatever else, it can justly be said that China reaped what it has sewn and it is only a shame that the world must suffer for China's arrogance and ambition.

Thus, if China objects, it has nothing to blame but itself. The practice is longstanding, the bungling incompetence and grotesque abuse of trust and obsessions with secrecy and power was homegrown.

This pandemic has a source traceable in not only geographic origin and in obscene mismanagement. If China is unhappy about that, it has no one to blame but itself.

[theChineseWASP]

Not just China objects but Chinese people all around the world are being targeted. Singaporeans, Koreans, even Philippinos are targeted all over the world. Calling it the “Chinese” virus is just encouraging racism and hatred.

Besides even Bill Gates said that most of the blame against China is unfair. He said the Chinese government did a lot of things right to warn the rest of the world in time. He said right now is not the right time to find blame anyway.

[nightdrot]

@theChineseWASP That does not change the fact that it is standard custom. Bill Gates being hardly dispositive in any event.

Changing the name will neither change the fact of where the disease began nor change behaviors that are not justifiable. Discrimination and harassment are illegal and can be punished in law. That will have to suffice.

Call the disease something else and it will not change the origin of the disease nor China's culpability for its spread. The Chinese in various countries may object to the name, but the facts are what they are. In that connection all that those of Chinese origin are owed are the aforementioned protections of the law against discrimination and harassment.

They are NOT owed an Orwellian alternation of the language. That is a bridge too far.

[theChineseWASP]

There’s no reason to call it the Chinese virus when it already has a scientific name. It unnecessarily blames al Chinese people when the majority of them were minding their own business. Just the other day I was walking to the store when a homeless man called me a Chink and told me to fuck off. Where was the law then? It’s better to just stop discrimination at the source instead of allowing one discriminatory act but condemning others. The Chinese government did some wrong things but overall this virus is an enemy of nature not if the Chinese or of Asians...

[nightdrot]

@theChineseWASP There is no reason to call it by its scientific name either. There have, after all, been multiple names assign to it. Coronavirus, Covid19, Wuhan Virus.

Any and all are equally valid, the reference to China being merely one of the myriad of names that have been applied to it. The notion that ceasing to call it the China Virus will mystically magically erase the biases of those who harbor such biases does not bear scrutiny.

Twisting the language into pretzel will not change where the virus came from and, in any case, there exists no means by which to enforce calling it something else. The bottom line being that to assume that following a long established practice for identifying certain pathogens is inherently racist is absurd.

The practice is scientifically valid and that some may harbor biases against China because of the virus does not thereby invalidate that practice. It is a conflation of a valid use of words with their misuse.

Take your argument to its logical conclusion and we will soon be erasing whole pages of the dictionary.

[theChineseWASP]

I understand that sometimes placenames are used in science but just calling it the “Chinese virus” is not attempting to be scientific. There’s a lot of more informative scientific names than just that. If people just want to incriminate the PRC then at least just call it the PRC virus why incriminate an entire ethnicity along the way too? “The Chinese virus” is not attempting to sound scientific or appropriate.

[nightdrot]

@theChineseWASP Then please do define the specific situations in which an illness may be referred to by its place of origin. Please define the specific criteria in which it may be permitted and when not. (Oh also allow for sloppiness in the common usage as we were discussing the "China virus" and not the "Chinese virus." So in that connection, please stipulate standards by which we may discern when a person's use of language is merely slovenly as opposed to suggesting racist intent.)

Please lay all of this out - again, specific criteria, standards and differentiation in what words may be used and what not and how to infer the intent of each user of language. After laying this out, please provide examples of when, for example, Spanish flu may be used and when not.

Really, this is absurd where not simply whinny and self-pitying.

[theChineseWASP]

I’m tired of arguing so I give up sorry.

[nightdrot]

@theChineseWASP Well, you have done --- what four postings and you are already tired? Good grief, you sure you want to be on this site?

Suffice to say, with that kind of intellectual energy, I hope you don't expect to persuade too many people to your viewpoint. Then again, given the shallow nature of your insights on this question, that may not be such a bad thing. The culture already being suffused in shallow and superficial feelings masquerading as actual thought.

[WadeDanielSmith]

It's Trumps way of trying to blame someone other than himself for the failed policies in this country.

We spent all those trillion dollars per year on the military, but we couldn't spend a few billion dollars for personal protective equipment and a vaccine. There were research firms trying ot get funding to develop a SARS or MERS vaccine 4 years ago, all around the world, and they couldn't get a pharma company or a government nor even a religious organization to fund the research, so now there is no vaccine and the death toll will just keep rising.

Also, 90% of CARES stimulus bill ended up going to people who were already rich. the 80% share of the population actually received less than 10% of the stimulus money, as usual, and the new stimulus bill the Senate is about to not pass is the same way. It contains less than 300 billion to the 80% and about 2.7 trillion to the top 20% so all they did was take the low and middle class tax payers money and give it to the rich people, when a Godly government would do the opposite... and Trump signed that bill into law, by the way... because a lot of his friends got rich and a lot of Nancy Pelosi's friends got rich. So even though Trump and Pelosi hate each other, they'll work together if they both get filthy rich and get som eof their friends filthy rich.

... but they couldn't care less about normal people's wellbeing. A one time stimulus of $1200 per adult and $500 per child is chump change compared to the fact we've already been on total lockdown for 3 months and unemployment is 25% above Great Depression levels now.

Hey let's all take the President's advice and inject some disinfectants. I mean, it's all depressing enough, but then to hear that stupid comment come from Trump. I thought He'd already said the dumbest thnig possible in the past, then he said this and I just hung my head in despair.

[genuinlysensitive]

1. Trump never gave "advice and inject some disinfectants"

"The briefing transcript shows that Trump did not say people should inject themselves with bleach or alcohol to treat the coronavirus"

www.politifact.com/.../

As for it coming from China, no one is debating that it didn't.

[mindNsoul]

Context is everything here. Covid-19 has already had a name when it was called the Chinese virus in a way to steer hatred and political agenda. You can't just decide to change the name in a tone that was meant to be offensive and expect people not to be offended. The virus was not named the Chinese virus by any scientist sitting in a lab, or the WHO, the country that had it, or even by the guy who discovered it.
Countries who initially were hit the hardest were and still are busy to deal with it than wasting their energy on something like this.

This debate is mainly found online and in America but no where else really! because people are occupied trying to fight it and everyone knows that the naming competition is over. It is SARS-CoV-2 and will forever be known as Covid-19 in all history books. So if you're not racist don't bother and focus on making this world a better place.

[genuinlysensitive]

The debate is found in America only because the American corporate/CIA controlled media made it an issue when Trump said it.

*NOTE* When the media called it the "Wuhan/Coronavirus" for months no one said boo.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

This is because the ORIGINAL name was "Wuhan Pnemonia". This upset the Unelected China-controlled WHO who demanded people call it something else.

*NOTE* the media CONTINUED calling it "Wuhan/Chinese virus" until Trump said it. It then bagan race baiting saying if you called it that you are "racist".

https://youtu.be/7zatCqqRY_I

[mindNsoul]

@genuinlysensitive I hate to break it to you but the world does not spin around what happens in the US and who said what in the media or what party is trying to win this. Naming of the virus got nothing to do with any of the things you said as the virus was not found in America or discovered by American scientists. So naming rights are not your birth right.

Whatever names circulated around the world before officially naming the virus are irrelevant. The virus now is officially named and the story ends there. Now instead of spending energy and time on this maybe spend the same in making this world a better place with less hatred.

[genuinlysensitive]

The virus has had multiple names. First named "Wuhan Pnemonia" by Chinese doctors who first discovered it, soon the WHO demanded people call it "COVID 19", and the media (WORLDWIDE mind you) continued to call it "Chinese/Wuhan virus" UNTIL Trump said it, then it became racist. But you keep trying to project your arrogance/ignorance onto me because I am an American, how intelligent of you!

[Sbgirl]

I mean it has an official name, so it is necessary to call it that. I don't think calling it the Chinese virus is racist on its own, it would be racist if you started hating on Chinese people, avoiding them or abusing them in the street, stopped going to restaurants for that reason, made any racial comments etc. The virus did come from China, so it isn't necessarily racist, but you can't blame the average Chinese national for this situation.

It has at least a couple names though, so there's no real need to use the word 'Chinese'. Covid-19, Coronavirus, even 'the virus' would probably do. I know we refer to the pandemic of 100 years ago to the 'Spanish flu' but it actually didn't originate in Spain. Plus the world was a different place 100 years ago.

[theChineseWASP]

Thanks I agree.

[OlderAndWiser]

Is it racist to identify a citrus fruit as a Persian lime? I'd it racist to identify a cat as an Egyptian Mau? No.

[888theGreat]

The cat will scratch your eyes out

[OlderAndWiser]

The only purebred cat I've ever owned was a Maine Coon Cat, and he was the sweetest cat I every had.

[Bucket_meister]

They're really not comparable tho. Those are both (relatively) benign parts of nature. The virus actually kills people and is shutting down the world.

[OlderAndWiser]

So what? It originated in China. How do you define racism?

[888theGreat]

To a liberal , any Republican and all conservatives

[OlderAndWiser]

@888theGreat. I hear you!

[theChineseWASP]

A virus is not a product of culture. Not fair to call something a Virus of some culture.

[theChineseWASP]

Atom bombs originated in America but we don't call them "American bombs". You see how messed up that system is?

[OlderAndWiser]

Calling it The Chinese flu is not blaming the culture;. It is identifying the country of origin. In view of the horrible deception practiced by China, causing this pandemic, I think that is fair.

If you want to convince me that this is racist, you need to first define "racist."

[theChineseWASP]

I’m that is unfair even Bill GatES said that pinning blame on China at this stage in the game is unfair And blame should be found after we’re done with the pandemic. He also said that China did certain things right in the pandemic such as releasing information about the virus genome early on.

[theChineseWASP]

Besides it already has a scientific name making a new one is just to incite racism and hatred. I’m not calling you a racist specifically but the practice you’re indulging encourages racism and hatred. Just a few days ago a homeless man called me chink and told me to fuck off. Racist attacks in America are on the rise and Asians in America largely had nothing to do with this disease.

[OlderAndWiser]

1. This isn't a question about the computer business, so why should I care about what Bill Gates thinks? I form my own opinions.

2. Do you call them Canis lupus familiaris? That is their scientific name, but you probably don't use it, do you? You probably call them English bulldogs. Is that racist?

3. Your response has the aroma of the PC culture. "Let's be nice and not blame anyone or hold them responsible." That doesn't work in the real world.

4. My best friend in this site is Chinese, now living in the US. My last LTR was with a native American. I have dated several Hispanic and Asian women. I am not a racist but I don't succumb to PC pressure.

5. I asked you to define "racist" and you have failed to do so. If you really want a discussion, define the term.

[theChineseWASP]

This virus already has a scientific name and common name Covid19 and coronavirus. There’s no need to call it Chinese virus other than to incriminate people.

I did not claim that YOU are racist but since you keep insisting on a definition of racism I’ll say that racism is anything that denigrates an entire group of people.

I’m not trying to advance PC culture just for the sake of PC culture I’m trying to discourage racist hate crimes against Asians that’s a real problem right now in the world.

[OlderAndWiser]

I think the Chinese people who are responsible for unleashing this viruses deserve to be attacked in a violent manner. That are mass murderers.

Blindly attacking someone because they are Chinese is extremely stupid, because there are over a billion Chinese people and very few of them shoulder any responsibility for this matter.

By your definition of racism, if I say that Jamaicans are horrible at the Winter Olympics, then that is a racist statement. . . . Try again.

[genuinlysensitive]

Where was your outrage when the anti-Trump Media was calling it the Chinese/Wuhan Virus for months? It is only "racist" according to you when Trump does it.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

[OlderAndWiser]

An excellent point, @genuinlysensitive!

[theChineseWASP]

That is not a good point at all. No one in real life calls it "the Chinese virus". Only people on online chat boards who covertly want to encourage hatred and incrimination. Where's the line between calling it "the Chinese virus" and then spitting on the next Chinese person you see? This unnecessary nomenclature is just an excuse to incriminate and deviate from actual science.

[theChineseWASP]

@OlderAndWiser here's something why don't you give me your definition of racism and I'll just dump on it instead?

[theChineseWASP]

@OlderAndWiser whether or not it's an example of dictionary defined racism is besides the main point. The issue is that it's unneccessary nomenclature not no one actually subscribes to in real life and is only advanced by online message boards to encourage incrimination against innocent people.

[OlderAndWiser]

You are making unwarranted assumptions. I have called it the Chinese virus and, three months ago, CNN and other liberal media outlets were calling it the Wuhan virus. Were they inviting attacks on everyone who is from Wuhan?

[OlderAndWiser]

Isn't racism a state of mind and not a particular set of words?

[theChineseWASP]

Names can have consequences is all I'm saying. You can argue that "Yellow Peril" is not racist either but at that point I feel like you're just trying to say "red" is not "red". But whatever if you truly think that such a heated name is not racist then just do what you think is normal. Not sure this argument is worth pursuing... anyways whatever.

[OlderAndWiser]

Racism is an attitude, an intent, and not the words themselves. You are assuming that EVERYONE who uses the expression Chinese Flu is doing so with the intent of inciting violence. You are not considering any other evidence of intent because you have already judged the person on the basis of two words.

If I judge someone strictly on the basis of their skin color, that would be prejudice. When you judge someone strictly on the basis of two words, that is prejudice.

[theChineseWASP]

Okay I guess you have a point some people are attempting to sound scientific. Ok then.

[Oram52]

First naming it Chinese virus is NOT accurate, it wasn't isolated in whole country. It'll be Wuhun virus. Just because its not "technically" racist doesn't mean its acceptable to stigmatize whole people. Chinese people didn't have anything to do with it, they're also suffering, country with one of the highest deaths.

People of Asian descent have seen increase in levels of racism they face, they are being attacked. In such scenario one has to be careful not to stigmatize, alienate, scapegoat one group of people.

This buffoon is president, this idiot deliberately being provocative when he is fully aware what impact such deliberate provocative negative scenario has on one group of people. Instead of making pathetic excuses for such behaviour why not openly criticize and condemn such uncivilized person? Which majority of people have. Just because its not "technically" racist doesn't mean such deliberate provocation doesn't encourage racism. Most importantly should a President be using such language, but hey its Buffoon?

Again it can NOT be identified as Chinese virus, because its not discovered in whole country, that wasn't the origin of the virus. So it would technically be Wuhun. The reason such association was stopped was that it may encourage negative association and stigmatize people. Exactly what this classless President is doing. Chinese people didn't have anything to do with it, so NO its not Chinese virus!!

[888theGreat]

Should I start playing a violin?

[theChineseWASP]

THANK YOU 🙏

[genuinlysensitive]

1. Wes Nile Virus
2. Guinea Worm
3. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
4. Lyme Disease
5. Ross River Fever
6. Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
7. Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever
8. Spanish Flu
9. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
10. Marburg Virus Disease

And many more named after the places they originated. None of those people have " seen increase in levels of racism they face". Where was the outrage from the anti-Trumpers when FOR MONTHS the anti-Trump media called it the Wuhan/Chinese Virus? *Crickets* It only becomes political for anti-Trumpers when after decades of scientific practice and months of anti-Trump media covering it as the Wuhan/Chinese virus that Leftists are suddenly upset, after Trump does what scientists and the media did!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

https://youtu.be/7zatCqqRY_I

[Oram52]

@genuinlysensitive So you cite breitbart an alt-right news once even came up on troll new list.

Read the comments again. The first and the most important, and major point is Buffoon's INTENT!!
Not hard to grasp that concept. It was his precise intent to be deliberately provocative, no one called it Chinese virus, if you look above I also called it Wuhun virus, that's what Chinese were calling it themselves. Official name was Covid19, that was used all over the world. Trump DELIBERATELY as usual ran his ignorant mouth and wanted to be provocative. The concept you deliberately as usual Trump supporter conveniently overlook again. Its NOT Buffoon calling it Chinese virus, but his deliberate attempt to be provocative.

People are under quarantine people are agitated, some people have taken to themselves in blaming Asians, I'm sure you've seen news. Asians have been spat on attacked, increased levels of racism, because people are unhappy being in quarantine. Trump deliberately is flaming those fires, not the first time. You Trump supporters conveniently trying to find pathetic excuses for his behavior.

Those on your list majority are not named on nationality but location, same as it would be Wuhun not Chinese. Not to mention it'll be SARS that'll be Chinese virus NOT Covid19, it'll technically be Chinese virus 2.0.

Maybe instead of try find pathetic excuses for pathetic excuse for a president why not you tell me why go out of your way to call something Chinese virus when all around the world its known as Covid 19, and only buffoon and his supporters seem hell bent on calling it Chinese virus?

[LucyxD]

It's very racist. I'm not going to catch the virus by being in the same room as a Chinese person. Being Chinese doesn't make you a carrier so why does it need to be called The Chinese Virus? From what I read it came from animals, meaning this could have happened anywhere with bad food handling.

Didn't aids spread to humans because some guy had sex with a monkey? We aren't calling aids the white disease and yes, that too would be very racist.

[allisonNicole]

👏👏

[CubsterShura]

I think Chinese virus, or virus from China etc should be fine if you just mean it as the place of origin and not anything else. But the word 'China virus' didn't really settle with me and it's really disappointing to see many right-wing people deliberately using it.

[PeterAyre]

Racialy insensitive. Not racist, there would logically be no prejudice. Although, some people might interpret it to be racist based on their interpretation of why it was said. Therefore, it might upset Chinese people and others. There is a reason we don't call aids the African disease.

[genuinlysensitive]

1. Ebola
2. Guinea Worm
3. Zika Fever
4. West Nile Virus

All diseases named after places in Africa. In fact not only was the original name of COVID "Wuhan Pnemonia" the media refered to it as Wuhan/Chinese virus FOR MONTHS before Trump did it with ZERO outrage.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

[PeterAyre]

They all relate to rivers, forests, and gulfs. Not races of people, who could get offended by that. Calling it by a race of people, could cause upset to a race making it racially insensitive. What's in a name why not keep it as COVID or even Wuhan. Maybe it's a American culture thing, in which case that would make a strong argument. Yeah I don't know, why people hate on Trump and automatically negatively interpret his intentions, but I don't follow American news either.

[Rangers]

No, just like President Trump said, "The communist Chinese government tried to blame it on US troops, and that will not happen as long as I'm president. The communist Chinese government is trying to rewrite history to divert the blame because they know they're at fault. It's not racist, the virus came from China and that government isn't rewriting history". And by the way, "Chinese" isn't a race, it's a nationality, CNN.

[888theGreat]

Good answer

[BeMuse]

China isn’t a race it’s a country. To the best of everyone’s knowledge covid-19 originated in China, however the Chinese are blocking all countries from doing a proper investigation because they are actively dissembling and trying to cover up what is really happening. It’s better to refer to it by it’s scientific name because a number of viruses have originated in China, but I think people can easily put two and two together and figure out what you mean from current events.

[purplepoppy]

Lots of diseases are named after where they're first discovered, there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is trump took it upon himself to name it that to stir up his racist fan base.

[888theGreat]

I don't think so, you hated Trump from day one, admit it.

[genuinlysensitive]

I would think someone who reads "The global headlines" would know that the media was calling it the Wuhan/Chinese virus for MONTHS before Trump did it. But its not racist when someone anti-Trump does it, only when Trump does it. The media could say the N word and the anti-Trumpers would give them a pass!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

[theChineseWASP]

The Coronavirus already has a scientific name. Calling it a new name is just to create hatred and is unnecessary.
The virus may have come from China but it is not the fault of average Chinese people who were spread all over the world. calling it the “Chinese” virus runs the risk of incriminating average Chinese people.

[theChineseWASP]

Just a few days ago I was walking to the grocery store and a homeless guy called me a chink and told me to fuck off. Racist attacks are on the rise around the world. It's better not to encourage racist attacks against innocent Asian people.

[theChineseWASP]

SmallPox came from Egypt but we don’t call it Egyptian Virus. There’s a lot of things where that naming system is inappropriate and would break down.

[theChineseWASP]

@Asker I’m reporting your question for being offensive.

[theChineseWASP]

No one openly wants to admit something is racist that doesn’t mean it’s not offensive. Tons of hate is now being directed at innocent Asians.

[theChineseWASP]

China has now banned eating dogs and Wuhan has banned selling wildlife. China is trying to do a lot of things to rectify itself but people only want to find reasons to hate.

[theChineseWASP]

www.cbsnews.com/.../
Of course a lot of changes still need to be done but at least they're working on it...

[theChineseWASP]

@genuinlysensitive Stop spamming you dolt. None of those things were a pandemic. Imagine if we called SmallPox "Egyptian virus" or "Caucasian virus". There's no reason to create a new name other than to just attack a group of people.

I don't care about supporting Liberals or Trump or whatever I just attack hate/discrimination against Asians in all of its forms.

[theChineseWASP]

@Asker so joe you’ve enabled tons of people to spout hate speech against Chinese people with your question. If this isn’t hatred enabling then what is it? This is completely unfair and incriminatory of my people for no reason.

[theChineseWASP]

I feeL unfairly attacked by this question and the provocation that Covid19 should instead be called “Chinese virus”. I feel that it unfairly targets me and people like me.

[theChineseWASP]

Why is there so much hate of East Asians during this coronavirus crisis? ↗

[Liadon]

Its already got an easy to say scientific name, calling it the chinese virus feels like you're trying to push the blame on the entire chinese population. If you nicknamed it the Wuhan virus, you wouldn't be addressing by far as many people and keeping the name more relevant. But we don't ever really name viruses after the country they came from for a reason.

[2ndTryatThis]

It is and it isn’t.. when it first broke out and was spread by China not being prepared/protective enough, in shorthand to discuss it amidst an outbreak while many did not know its name.. sure, it makes sense.. HOWEVER, viruses are not specific to ethnicity.. in fact this one comes from Bats.. so if we call it anything in shorthand, it should be “the Bat virus.” viruses existed before man did, so calling them anything based on a type of human is pretty absurd and very accusatory.

[Asker]

How about " The Chinese Bat Virus"🤔🤔?

[2ndTryatThis]

I think we can move past the “Chinese” blame assignment at this point.. the rest of the world has done pretty terribly containing it as well..

[Anonymous]

Viruses are often named after where they come from.
West Nile Virus?
Ebola Zaire?
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome?
Lyme Disease?
Zika?
Many, many more.
Many people might not realize they're names of places, but they are.

Corona originated in China.
It is the "Chinese virus" just as much as Ebola (a river in Zaire) is the named of the Ebola virus.

[theChineseWASP]

It already ha a scientific name why create a new one?

[theChineseWASP]

That naming system doesn’t work for absolutely everything.

[theChineseWASP]

Coronavirus came from Wuhan it would be more appropriate to call if Wuhan SARS if we have to use that system but like I said it already has a scientific name. Calling it a Chinese virus is just to stir up hate and racism.

[Opinion Owner]

@theChineseWASP All the other viruses I listed also have scientific names.
Why call a lion a lion? Don't you know it has a scientific name?
Maybe it's because, in everyday speech, saying "Panthera leo" isn't as easy. But if you say "lion," people know what you mean.

And, correct, that naming system isn't used for everything. But it is used for some things. And you need a better reason than "I'm chinese and I don't like it" for me to give a shit.

I'm sure people in Lyme, Connecticut, aren't thrilled every time they hear something about Lyme disease.

[theChineseWASP]

If a disease spreads as easily at Covid19 it’s no longer useful to describe it but where it started. SmallPox started in Egypt but we don’t call it Egyptian virus. That would be interpreted as inciting hatred for no reason since it already has a scientific name. China is a huge country of a billion people. It makes no sense to blame all those people for A single natural event that happened in one place.

[genuinlysensitive]

The original name for the Coronavirus was "Wuhan Pnemonia". COVID-19 was a demand from the WHO, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party that anyone who made reference to Wuhan or China was racist. Keep in mind the media still called it Wuhan/Chinese virus without a peep from you or anyone else UNTIL Trump said it!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

[flamiE]

No cause it’s related to the origin of the virus. Trying to stay away from chinese people more than you normally would from people from other nationalities and banning them from restaurants and stores would be racist though.

[theChineseWASP]

The virus didn’t originate from Chinese people, not fair to blame all Chinese people for a natural event.

[flamiE]

Scientifically speaking, the first case was registered in Wuhan, China so it is believed that it’s origin is China. Me personally, I believe it’s been around for quite some time before someone came out and said oh there’s this new virus and the epicentre is Wuhan, so don’t blame it on me, the majority of people believe the patient zero was a resident of Wuhan.
It is true that it’s stupid to be called “the chinese virus” but someone else said it very well in the comments, it happened with the Spanish flu too. It’s a global pandemic people focus too much on blaming China for not telling the world on time and tried to shut doctor’s mouths when they tried to talk about this new virus, I personally don’t support the way China handled it, if they weren’t withdrawing information other countries could’ve reacted in a better way, but anyway what’s done is done and we should all focus on how we can beat the illness rather than blaming China, WHO, whoever can be blamed really, that’s just unnecessary waste of energy that could be put towards something else.
Also I don’t know why chinese people think it’s racist to call the virus that way but they’re okay to deny access to black people, not just that but quarantine them even though they don’t have symptoms, or beat them up to death.. cause they believe it came from Africa and not China... that’s what’s racist to me and not calling the virus a certain way.

[theChineseWASP]

Not all Chinese people live in China. I live in America and tons of hate crimes against Chinese in America. Just a few days ago a homeless man called me Chink and told me to fuck off. Everyone blaming Chinese people around the world for Chinese people in China is unfair.

[flamiE]

I know that and I’m sorry to hear that you experienced such a thing. I think some people just feel the need to offend any chinese cause it’s more about the fact that it all started in your country (or at least that’s what we’re being told) and not that you’re carrying the virus if that makes sense.
I live in London and Chinese people over here suffer too.
And what you just said is an absolute example of what racism is, but calling a virus after the place it started from is not.

[flamiE]

I know that and I’m sorry to hear that you experienced such a thing. I think some people just feel the need to offend any chinese cause it’s more about the fact that it all started in your country (or at least that’s what we’re being told) and not that you’re carrying the virus if that makes sense.
I live in London and Chinese people over here suffer too.
And what you just said is an absolute example of what racism is, but naming** a virus after the place it started from is not.

[genuinlysensitive]

Where is your outrage on all the other diseases named after their origin? Where was your outrage when the anti-Trump media for months called it the "Wuhan/Chinese" virus?

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

I guess its fine unless Trump says it right? Race bait much?

[QueenOfBaku]

If it started in India, people would call it indian virus
(Even tho I'm not sure if it really started in China)

So Chinese people shouldn't take it personal

[7771999]

Same with the Spanish Flu. It didn't originate from Spain though. But the Spanish journalists were the first to report on it

[QueenOfBaku]

Yeah 👍🏻

[888theGreat]

Good answer

[theChineseWASP]

I don’t think people would call it an Indian virus. SmallPox started in Europe but we don’t call it “Caucasian” virus or something like that.. it already has scientific name so we should just stick with that...

[QueenOfBaku]

I agree

[Asker]

Yeah👍

[loveslongnails]

And if it started in the USA and the rest of the world called it " The American Virus", the presidouche would screaming his tiny twitter fingers off and threatening to withhold aid from any country whose people say that, while blaming it all on someone else. LMAO.

[7771999]

@loveslongnails cringe

[genuinlysensitive]

1. German Measles
2. Spanish Flu
3. Marburg Virus
4. Ross River Fever
5. Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
6. St. Louis Encephalitis
7. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

These are just a few diseases named after places in Europe/America. So you are wrong about that. Not to mention the anti-Trump media has for months called it the Wuhan/Chinese Virus. But thats ok right, its only racist if Trump calls it that.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

[QueenOfBaku]

👏🏼 good job

[theChineseWASP]

@genuinlysensitive racist attacks against Asians are surging stop encouraging hate attacks. Just the other day a homeless man called me Chink and told me to fuck off. Your pro Trump agenda is not helping to promote peace and cooperation.

[7771999]

Lol. Call him a cracker or whatever then

[theChineseWASP]

@7771999 I don't have to waste my time with a homeless person. He's already homeless what more could I do to him? Lots of homeless white people in America probably because the family culture in Western society is so rotten.

[7771999]

Also because the state prefers helping minorities in every aspect. Lol

But yeah. So why care what he says.

[theChineseWASP]

@7771999 the irony is that the state is created by white people. White people allow themselves to become homeless drug addicts and then blame minorities smh 🤦‍♀️ whatever not my concern to fix screw ups...

[7771999]

They don't blame minorities. They blame the self hating and Jewish lobbied state

[loveslongnails]

@genuinlysensitive As I said in my comment, it's not "racist" ... it's dumb and pointless, which is a Trump speaking pattern no matter what the subject. Not ONLY that, but he is using the geographic origin of the virus to deflect his outright denial of its seriousness and his incompetency in dealing with controlling its spread in the US. So... this particular time his remarks aren't racist, they're just the usual Trump deflection of responsibility and blame shift tactic. Besides, simply because a "thing" has been done in the past doesn't mean it should be done again. Time and situations change.

[QueenOfBaku]

I hate initiating arguments

[theChineseWASP]

I’m sorry...

[QueenOfBaku]

You're fine @theChineseWASP

[loveslongnails]

@theChineseWASP Did he just say "Jewish lobbied state" Holy fuck. Unbelievable.

[Soteris]

Probably? I mean its incredibly stupid and it seams clearly racially motivated so I just can't find a justifiable reason why you would do it outside of being racist.

[888theGreat]

Another liberal speaks

[Soteris]

@888theGreat Yeah. Its sad how being correct has become a trait of liberals.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

I'd rather call it "China virus" since that is where this whole crisis originated. Calling it "Chinese virus" is targeting someone who's Chinese. That's when it's now considered racist.

[Oram52]

But everyone calls it Covid 19, why call it Chinese? Not to mention it'll be called Wuhun virus not Chinese, and SARS would've been called Chinese virus.

[_food_lover234]

no, i dotn think so. I mean take the Spanish flu for example. it origianted from china, its fair to call it the Chinese flu.

[theChineseWASP]

Yeah Chinese flu is slightly better than Chinese virus...

[_food_lover234]

@theChineseWASP sorry i got the wording wrong, I meant Chinese virus

[theChineseWASP]

It already has a name so making anew one is just to incite racism and hatred. It’s like if we decided to call SmallPox European virus or something like that.

[genuinlysensitive]

1. German Measles
2. Spanish Flu
3. Marburg Virus
4. Ross River Fever
5. Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
6. St. Louis Encephalitis
7. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

These are just a few diseases named after places in Europe/America. Not to mention for months the anti-Trump media has said Chinese/Wuhan Virus and no one called them racist. COULD POLITICS have something to do with your sudden view that this is racist?

https://twitter.com/i/status/1238186498433966081

www.breitbart.com/.../

https://youtu.be/7zatCqqRY_I

[_food_lover234]

@genuinlysensitive YESS YOU GOOO!!!

[theChineseWASP]

@genuinlysensitive I am not anti-Trump I am anti Asian discrimination. I personally don’t mind Trump. Stop making this about liberals vs conservatives or whatever...

[theChineseWASP]

No one calls it Chinese virus in real life.

[Agape93]

No but it should just be called the wuhan coronavirus, for clarity, as we routinely name viruses by where they are discovered.

[Laura_Marx]

We don't do this anymore, fwiw, because it creates a permanent stigma against that place. This is why Ebola is named after a river & not either of the towns it broke out in

[Laura_Marx]

also 'swine flu', 'bird flu', 'SARS', etc. There has been an intentional shift away from using placenames for diseases since somewhere in the 20th century

[Agape93]

Ah a fair point

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

Plus it already had the name "coronavirus".

[888theGreat]

@Laura_Marx Who cares what they think? They are our enemy. You don't kiss the ass of your enemy.

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx "We don't do this anymore, fwiw, because it creates a permanent stigma against that place"

Do they still name diseases after the person that discovered a disease?

[Laura_Marx]

@888theGreat Hey man, they're not *my* enemy!

[Laura_Marx]

@Aislin9 those are usually hereditary diseases rather than epidemics, right? Crohn's, Lyme's etc...

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx So only diseases that can be blamed on starting in a particular area are now socially outlawed?

[Laura_Marx]

@Aislin9 strange to find you objecting to this! Crohn's disease being named after Bernard Berril Crohn honours him because we understand that he played some significant role in operationalizing its treatment. Naming Ebola 'the Yubuku virus' would impress on the world that Yubuku was, foremost, the place that gave us a terrible disease. Naming a disease after a man honours the man, naming a disease after a town dishonours the town.

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx Why would you think it would dishonor a town and not a man?

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx Mostly a disease is named after someone who discovers it, not cures it, fyi

[theChineseWASP]

@888theGreat you’re being ridiculous. Deciding not to call people a virus is not “kissing their ass”...

[Laura_Marx]

@Aislin9 well they discover it in order that it might be cured, thats the purpose of 'pathologization' - no one discovered wheezing, but someone discovered asthma, right
It dishonors the town because it creates a stigma about it. I don't know why you're being difficult about this. Do you really think if you lived in 'AIDs Town' there wouldn't be a stigma?

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx

It has nothing to do with a cure, only the person who discovers it. There are countless examples of that. The disease is found in an area and in the past, that has been normal to name it based on the region. There are many instances that there is no stigma attached to it. The West Nile Virus, Ross River Fever, Lyme Disease, Spanish flu, German measles, MERS, Norovirus... all named after places but there is no stigma attached to it.

The virus originated in China (like many, many others) in the wet market. This is apparently to blame for the virus. Did you know they've reopened those wet markets now? Racism against an entire population is not good but it's bound to happen (it already exists anyway). Perhaps the big push away from the naming it Wuhan virus was to absolve the Chinese communist party of all responsibility. Officials from China have since blamed the US for planting the virus. Tensions between the US and China are high and I think there is a good possibility of war unfortunately.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@Aislin9 Viruses are often given names after the place that they first originated if THEY DON'T ALREADY HAVE A NAME. Coronavirus did: it was called CORONAVIRUS.

[Aislin9]

@Ad_Quid_Orator It was also referred to the Wuhan virus. Here is an example in a medical journal:

2019-nCoV (Wuhan Virus), a Novel Coronavirus: Human-To-Human Transmission, Travel-Related Cases, and Vaccine Readiness

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32088679/

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@Aislin9 The paper used it's official name first and only called it the "Wuhan Virus" in parenthesis. Many diseases have multiple names but that doesn't preclude a certain place name from being used as a dog whistle.

[Aislin9]

@Ad_Quid_Orator MERS is a coronavirus too but now it's just called MERS. It's not a big deal to the middle east.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@Aislin9 Because that is the strains' original name like 2019-nCoV is this pandemic's original name.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

Also, if MERS caused a pandemic and someone called it the "Middle Eastern Virus" (even though that's in the name) they would probably be considered racist to.

[Aislin9]

@Ad_Quid_Orator "Also, if MERS caused a pandemic and someone called it the "Middle Eastern Virus" (even though that's in the name) they would probably be considered racist to"

Well, that would be stupid since that's it's name. A name isn't racist. What you're really stating is that country shouldn't be held responsible for an outbreak because of where it first appeared and that to me is questionable in itself. When you shut people down on a discussion "because it's racist", then we have a problem. I have told people here (writing about how much they hate the Chinese to f off). Only time I cursed at anyone on here. That person was racist but the term is not.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@Aislin9 A name isn't racist in and of itself but the context in which it's used can be (ever heard of a dog whistle). I'm not saying that the policies employed by a government that lead to the outbreak is racist. I'm saying that using a name to attach a stigma to an entire group is and you're using the Orwellian "you call everything you don't agree with 'racist'" trope to shut down people who call out racist dog whistles.

[Aislin9]

@Ad_Quid_Orator
"I'm saying that using a name to attach a stigma to an entire group "
But it hasn't caused a problem or been an issue with an other name associated with a region. Plenty of people have gotten different diseases from other areas as well. I have no problem with the Wuhan virus as a name (Chinese also called it that), Chinese virus seems inaccurate and too broad. I also think absolving China from blame is the wrong thing to do. They just reopened the wet market again. Just think about that for a while.

[Laura_Marx]

@Aislin9 can you just admit you're not an expert on one thing, one time?

[Laura_Marx]

you dont know what you're talking about

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx Go fuck yourself.

[theChineseWASP]

@Aislin9 China reopened wet markets but it has also introduced new laws too. Dogs have been banned in all of China and Wuhan specifically has banned wildlife trade. I’m not saying we should absolve China or all responsibility but they are at least trying to make changes. www.dailymail.co.uk/.../...animals-five-years.html
www.google.com/.../

[Aislin9]

@Laura_Marx You don't have an argument and you're obviously a man.

[Laura_Marx]

@Aislin9 My argument was 'this is not common practice anymore because it creates a stigma'. The fact that they called a disease the Spanish flu 100 years ago doesn't bear on it. I just don't understand why you're digging your heels into *this* issue when you obviously aren't interested in actually engaging with the ethics, or any of the work done on the ethics, or any of the history of the ethics, of epidemology. Why on *this* issue, which only exists because of right-wing needling, as imbecilic as 'freedom fries' was? I've managed to avoid getting angry at people on this website since coming back but this one broke my spirit, I gotta say. Seeing someone who's supposed to be a feminist flatly reject empathy as a reasonable consideration to prove a point that I can't even understand - it hurts me, man

[theChineseWASP]

@Laura_Marx aislin9 blocked me but I wish she could read my links. Also I was on this site five years ago as hYpno-trip were you around then your username sounds familiar.

[Laura_Marx]

@theChineseWASP yes, as I understand it wet markets are not usually animal markets, its usually a food market for fisheries & buchers stalls etc. (hence 'wet'), that one just happened to have a live animal stall, & live animal stalls have been banned for now.

[Laura_Marx]

@theChineseWASP oh shit!!! hypno-trp!!! Yeah!!! we were friends! you had a keyboard that kept kicking into chinese characters right

[theChineseWASP]

@Laura_Marx I know can you believe it’s been five years geez...

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@Aislin9 You complain about using accusations of racism to shut down discussions but now you're throwing out catfish accusations to do the same?

At least the accusations of racism you mentioned before have some relevance to the issue at hand LOL.

[Laura_Marx]

@Ad_Quid_Orator hehe I don't think she's accusing me of catfishing, I think she's calling me a man because I'm trans & she knows it'll get to me. She blocked me right after. I did get mad at her, so.

[theChineseWASP]

@Laura_Marx she calls girls she doesn’t agree with a man. I honestly didn’t know you were trans lol.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

@Laura_Marx Talk about dropping a putrid pile of red herrings on her part.

Seriously, that's low.

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

Either way, that's dumb AF on her part.

[Laura_Marx]

<3 <3

[Konabeana]

If you have bad intentions behind calling COVID-19 another name such as “the Chinese virus”, then yes it is racist

[Sargentcaptain]

Saying that the Chinese virus is racist implies that Chinese people are a race, which is a bit closer to actual racism than just naming a virus by the region it came from.