04-06-2020, 02:08 PM
Brock Turner's press nickname as the "Stanford rapist" irked me to no end, and similarly, the "Chinese virus" annoys me because it is at once both extremely vague and inflammatory as the term Chinese is nearly exclusively a perjorative in the mouths of certain media outlets. To fight that perception, it would be nice to do away with "Chinese virus."
Wuhan virus, SARS-CoV-2, etc. are fine. But the insistence on using "Chinese virus" (there are more than one) is not specific enough to be anything more than a racial dogwhistle. Do better.
Also, I concur with everyone else who took notice of the Wuhan lockdown. Quasi-martial law for a city of 11 million is not a light undertaking, and to not assume the worst from there was foolish.
Yes, I believe China was and still is hiding figures from the WHO. Crowdsourced internet videos of bodies being dragged out of quarantined apartments, reports of dead bodies never being tested for the virus, etc. were too numerous to ignore. I hear the incinerators are still working 24/7.
I agree that the politicians didn't know what was going on, although one side tends to listen to scientists more often than the other. This is an important distinction. Also, one side managed to amputate key positions in the constellation of federal agencies that would have served as key sensor/recon posts in the arena of pandemic response. This is also important to weigh as people decide that finger-pointing toward the other side should absolve their side of any responsibility.
Wuhan virus, SARS-CoV-2, etc. are fine. But the insistence on using "Chinese virus" (there are more than one) is not specific enough to be anything more than a racial dogwhistle. Do better.
Also, I concur with everyone else who took notice of the Wuhan lockdown. Quasi-martial law for a city of 11 million is not a light undertaking, and to not assume the worst from there was foolish.
Yes, I believe China was and still is hiding figures from the WHO. Crowdsourced internet videos of bodies being dragged out of quarantined apartments, reports of dead bodies never being tested for the virus, etc. were too numerous to ignore. I hear the incinerators are still working 24/7.
I agree that the politicians didn't know what was going on, although one side tends to listen to scientists more often than the other. This is an important distinction. Also, one side managed to amputate key positions in the constellation of federal agencies that would have served as key sensor/recon posts in the arena of pandemic response. This is also important to weigh as people decide that finger-pointing toward the other side should absolve their side of any responsibility.