# Racism and "Wuhan virus" - only because Wuhan is a fairly well known large city? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 19, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807 "2020-03-19T15:29:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/1 "2020-03-19T15:29:23Z")
There has been criticism that the term “Wuhan virus” is racist, or stigmatizing, because it gives social stigma to people from Wuhan, which is a large and prominent city. At the same time, however, terms such as Ebola virus (Ebola river in Congo,) or Lassa Fever (Lassa in Nigeria), Nipah virus (Sungai Nipah in Malaysia,) Zika virus (Zika forest in Uganda,) Rift Valley fever (Rift valley in Kenya,) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (the Middle East,) remain prevalent in usage, with little or no controversy. Is it only because Wuhan is a well-known city and hence the stigma would arise more easily (whereas most Westerners wouldn’t recognize the name Lassa or Sungai Nipah?) Or because China has more clout and the international community is more reluctant to anger China? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/2 "2020-03-19T15:34:01Z")
You can call it anything you like. It originated in Wuhan and the news since the beginning of January was about China shutting down the city of Wuhan due to the seriousness of it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/3 "2020-03-19T15:36:49Z")
Trump just started his ongoing press conference by calling Covid-19 “The Chinese Virus” for obvious political reasons. That’s why the medical profession tries to avoid using place names when naming diseases. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/4 "2020-03-19T15:46:16Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > There has been criticism that the term “Wuhan virus” is racist, or stigmatizing, because it gives social stigma to people from Wuhan, which is a large and prominent city. I have not seen that criticism. Who is saying that? Not just that the constant association of the disease with China and having it described as a “foreign disease” is leading to general racism against people of apparently Asian ancestry, but that the problem with this is supposedly that it’s unfair to the people of Wuhan, a city which I suspect the bulk of us outside China have never heard of before, nor ever met anyone from? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/5 "2020-03-19T15:46:44Z")
I’m calling it “Trump virus” from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/6 "2020-03-19T15:50:31Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Trump just started his ongoing press conference by calling Covid-19 “The Chinese Virus” for obvious political reasons. At least he didn’t say “kung flu”. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/7 "2020-03-19T15:52:07Z")
After hiding the beginnings of this infection, kicking out all the Western journalists, and dumping all over the citizens of Hong Kong — I think we should call it the Chinese government flu just for the hell of it. But I’ll bend over and call it the Spanish Flu II. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/8 "2020-03-19T15:59:36Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > I have not seen that criticism. Who is saying that? Yes, WHO is saying that. > **[Disease Caused by the Novel Coronavirus Officially Has a Name: COVID-19](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/disease-caused-by-the-novel-coronavirus-officially-has-a-name-covid-19/)** > > The World Health Organization chose the name based on the type of virus and the year the first cases were seen > [@](#): > > In choosing the name, WHO advisers focused simply on the type of virus that causes the disease. > [@](#): > > In selecting COVID-19 as the name of the disease, the WHO name-givers steered clear of linking the outbreak to China or the city of Wuhan, where the illness was first identified. Although origin sites have been used in the past to identify new viruses, such a namesake is now seen as denigrating. Some experts have come to regret naming the infection caused by a different coronavirus the Middle East respiratory syndrome. > “Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing,” Tedros said. “It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.” > **[It's been sequenced. It's spread across borders. Now the new...](https://www.statnews.com/2020/01/23/its-been-sequenced-its-spread-across-borders-now-the-new-pneumonia-causing-virus-needs-a-name/)** > > Ebola, SARS, swine flu, MERS. Now a new virus has emerged in China. What do we call it? > [@](#): > > It was the WHO that chose the name SARS and was involved in the negotiations that settled on the name MERS — though WHO now uses MERS as an example of what not to do when naming a disease since it evokes a specific region. (The acronym is short for Middle East respiratory syndrome.) That, experts now agree, can be seen as disparaging. This article details a number of diseases with place names and the stigma that became associated with those places. Look at it this way: if someone in your family was the very first person diagnosed with a new highly contagious and deadly disease, would you want the world to know that as the MyFamilyName Disease? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/9 "2020-03-19T16:27:52Z")
Ohio is pretty pissed about _The Cleveland Steamer._ ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/10 "2020-03-19T16:36:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Look at it this way: if someone in your family was the very first person diagnosed with a new highly contagious and deadly disease, would you want the world to know that as the MyFamilyName Disease? I don’t know. The “manson1972 face-eating bacteria” sounds pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/11 "2020-03-19T17:06:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > There has been criticism that the term “Wuhan virus” is racist, or stigmatizing, because it gives social stigma to people from Wuhan, which is a large and prominent city. > > At the same time, however, terms such as Ebola virus (Ebola river in Congo,) or Lassa Fever (Lassa in Nigeria), Nipah virus (Sungai Nipah in Malaysia,) Zika virus (Zika forest in Uganda,) Rift Valley fever (Rift valley in Kenya,) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (the Middle East,) remain prevalent in usage, with little or no controversy. > > Is it only because Wuhan is a well-known city and hence the stigma would arise more easily (whereas most Westerners wouldn’t recognize the name Lassa or Sungai Nipah?) Or because China has more clout and the international community is more reluctant to anger China? Well, why do you think the White House and conservative media insists on calling it the Chinese or Wuhan virus even though it has another name that is much more widely established? ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/12 "2020-03-19T17:12:49Z")
Classic distraction technique Trump is using to rally his base and deflect from questions on his administration’s incompetence. Same with blaming America’s ills on Mexicans or his other “all media is evil” shit. Just repeat China and drown out all important health questions during a crisis. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/13 "2020-03-19T17:17:55Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > Well, why do you think the White House and conservative media insists on calling it the Chinese or Wuhan virus even though it has another name that is much more widely established? This ignores the responsibility of the Chinese government for lying about its origins and spread. It also ignores the fact that this same government lied its way to tens of millions of Chinese deaths during the Great Leap Forward. Maybe we should call it the CCP virus? ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/14 "2020-03-19T17:31:37Z")
Good job, **madsircool** keep repeating the word China and the Great Leap Forward, and maybe everyone will forget that Trump has been lying daily about this crisis from day 1. That’ll surly distract everyone from Trump’s rejection of WHO’s conronavirus testing kits or his firing of your nation’s pandemic response team. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/15 "2020-03-19T17:32:11Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > This ignores the responsibility of the Chinese government for lying about its origins and spread. It also ignores the fact that this same government lied its way to tens of millions of Chinese deaths during the Great Leap Forward. Maybe we should call it the CCP virus? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/16 "2020-03-19T17:34:02Z")
That’s not an answer to the question. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/17 "2020-03-19T17:37:51Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > **madsircool** keep repeating the word China and the Great Leap Forward, and maybe everyone will forget that Trump has been lying daily about this crisis from day 1. That’ll surly distract everyone from Trump’s rejection of WHO’s conronavirus testing kits or his firing of your nation’s pandemic response team. Did the virus originate here? Did Trump quash and expel the press? Does the US have a history of killing millions of its own citizens? Just keep your Trump mantra going. There is no equivalency between Trump and the CCP. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/18 "2020-03-19T17:42:29Z")
Trump’s administration is causing the deaths of Americans and the destruction of your economy. The lies, inaction, distractions, and lack of truthful information are a tragedy that you are reveling in. SAD. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/19 "2020-03-19T17:49:52Z")
How does it help Americans to call it a foreign virus? Do certain medicines only work on domestic viruses? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/20 "2020-03-19T17:50:28Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Trump’s administration is causing the deaths of Americans and the destruction of your economy. The lies, inaction, distractions, and lack of truthful information are a tragedy that you are reveling in. SAD. Reveling in? Like your lack of any kind of factual perspective. Did Trump allow the virus to spread in China? Did he allow it to spread in Italy? No. But there are quite a few lefty Trumps on these boards who speak from emotion and ignorance. Who are willing to name call and rush to hasty conclusions. Truthful information is pretty damn hard to come by when the nation of origin jails and journo or academic who dares speak the truth. Inaction? Should he have immediately shut the borders? We still arent sure exactly what the Feds can actually do without some kind of martial law being declared. If he had done that this thread would be about Trumps naked attempt to grab power and make himself President for life. I hate Trump but I would rather try to look at the facts as objectively as I possibly can and give him some space. It took months and an exponential spread of HIV for SF/LA/NYC to shut down their bathhouses. Dealing with pandemics is hard an uncertain work. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807.md?page=2)