17 Jan '21 06:24>
There’s a British, a South African and possibly a Brazilian (shaved?) version of Covid-19 sweeping many countries.
Are these terms equally racist as “The Chinese virus”?
Are these terms equally racist as “The Chinese virus”?
@shavixmir saidI think the connotations of each are different. Because the virus first emerged in China (we think), it is the intention of many people who use the phrase "the Chinese virus" to blame China for the pandemic. I don't think the same is true when people say "the South African variant" or "the Brazilian variant" - one gets the impression that this is a simple a way to differentiate between the variants.
There’s a British, a South African and possibly a Brazilian (shaved?) version of Covid-19 sweeping many countries.
Are these terms equally racist as “The Chinese virus”?
The post that was quoted here has been removedThe reason it wasn’t called the US or Canadian flu, is because most countries in 1917/1918 banned it from being mentioned to not demoralize the troops fighting in the war.
@ashiitaka saidSo it’s not the term “The Chinese virus” which makes it racist, it’s how it is used? Or who uses it?
I think the connotations of each are different. Because the virus first emerged in China (we think), it is the intention of many people who use the phrase "the Chinese virus" to blame China for the pandemic. I don't think the same is true when people say "the South African variant" or "the Brazilian variant" - one gets the impression that this is a simple a way to different ...[text shortened]... nk anyone blames Brazil, Britain or South Africa. I think that says something about people's biases.
The post that was quoted here has been removedI don’t ignore what you are saying.
@ashiitaka saidI didn’t even think about how they should be named.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/uk-variant-covid-b117/2021/01/16/b559d11a-5739-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html
I just stumbled upon this article. It covers most of what has been written in this thread.