# 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:** 11
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/201 "2020-03-23T01:35:28Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Hang on… > > COVID-19 started in Wuhan but calling it ‘Wuhan flu’ is (apparently) racist. > > Lyme disease started in a town called Lyme (never knew that), but calling it ‘Lyme disease’ _isn’t_ racist. > > Seems to me that either both names are racist or neither of them are. A bit of a moot point to dwell on that. From the 2015 World Health Organization Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Disease that many are not reading, even though it was cited about 4 times already: > **[WHO\_HSE\_FOS\_15.1\_eng.pdf](https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/163636/WHO_HSE_FOS_15.1_eng.pdf?sequence=1)** > [@](#): > > Table B Disease names may NOT include: > Geographic locations: > Cities, countries, regions, continents > > Examples to be avoided: > Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, Rift Valley fever, Lyme disease, > Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis > > **People’s names** > Examples to be avoided: > Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chagas disease > > **Species/class of animal or food** > Examples to be avoided: > Swine flu, bird flu, monkey pox, equine encephalitis, paralytic shellfish poisoning > > **Cultural, population, industry or occupational references** > Examples to be avoided: > Occupational, legionnaires, miners, butchers, cooks, nurses. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/202 "2020-03-23T01:52:49Z")
I tuned into the daily propaganda briefing again to day. Trump is trying to blame everything and everyone and take zero responsibility even as a war time president. One paraphrase: “I would personally call former presidents right now to help if I thought it would save one life. But I don’t think it will do any good.” ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/203 "2020-03-23T02:01:10Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > And because someone since has decided that such names might ‘stigmatize’ a region, we all have to agree and abandon common naming practices that have been in use for a century, or risk being called a racist. “We” did agree to abandon the old naming practices. Or at least the US signed on. I guess Canada did as well but I can’t find a cite. Again, n\*gger, colored, negro ad nauseam were all perfectly fine words until some bleeding heart librul cried umbrage. :smack: The Chinese community in the US are very worried about the xenophobia being perpetrated by the President of the US. Maybe not so much in Canada since Trudeau doesn’t spew that kind of racist vitrol. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/204 "2020-03-23T02:35:02Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …writing lots of words didn’t help you before. I suspect writing slowly isn’t going to help you either. > > Lets for the purposes of debate assume the bolded is true (and I don’t think it is.) You would agree that this is a pathetic, petty, ridiculous reason for Donald Trump to cross out “corona” with a sharpie and replace it with China, don’t you? > > snipped for brevity You completely in Lalaland now with your denials, and I can’t be bothered too much with you but I 'll just show one more time how dishonest you are being. You say _“Lets for the purposes of debate assume the bolded is true (and I don’t think it is.)”,_ the bolded text reads _" the reason why that happened was in response to Chinese state propaganda trying to deny the origin of the virus",_ you don’t think that is true even after I cited this: ["Mr. Trump told reporters that he was attaching “China” to the name of the virus to combat a disinformation campaign promoted by Beijing officials that the American military was the source of the outbreak.”](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/politics/china-virus.html)" Do you deny that? Trump didn’t say that? The disinformation by Chinese officials Trump speaks of is covered in multiple cites I’ve provided in this thread such as: [Official Communist Party publication Xinhua has published several articles questioning COVID-19’s provenance, and the state-run Global Times wrote, “As the U.S. COVID-19 situation becomes increasingly obscure, the Chinese public shares the suspicion raised by Zhao Lijian that the U.S. might be the source of the virus and that the U.S. is subject [to] questioning and is obliged to explain [its role to] the world.”](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/inside-chinas-campaign-to-blame-the-us-for-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-03-15) And I’ll add one more now: [Chinese diplomat promotes conspiracy theory that US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/13/asia/china-coronavirus-us-lijian-zhao-intl-hnk/index.html) Those things you say are not true, are true, they are part of a public record that anyone can see by themselves, just because you hate Trump doesn’t give you the right to your own facts and no matter how much you huff and puff what you are saying stands in stark opposition to actual reality. Beyond a shadow of a doubt your claims are false and at every instance I have brought this to your attention you have doubled down in your denials of plain, verifiable facts. _“I’m certainly not arguing from ignorance”_ That I’ll grant you, there’s more than just plain ignorance at play here. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/205 "2020-03-23T02:40:26Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Do you deny that? Trump didn’t say that? You lost me there, no one has a good reason to believe that the reason he claims he did something was the real reason why he did it. > **[Trump’s rationale for withholding aid to Ukraine changed overnight](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/24/20882081/trump-ukraine-aid-explanation-whistleblower)** > > On Monday, it was about "corruption." On Tuesday, it was something else entirely. Not to mention that it does not deny that, once again, the dishonorable Chinese leaders do have a valid point regarding the specific naming issue at hand. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/206 "2020-03-23T02:52:39Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > You completely in Lalaland now with your denials, and I can’t be bothered too much with you but I 'll just show one more time how dishonest you are being. > > You say _“Lets for the purposes of debate assume the bolded is true (and I don’t think it is.)”,_ the bolded text reads _" the reason why that happened was in response to Chinese state propaganda trying to deny the origin of the virus",_ you don’t think that is true even after I cited this: > > ["Mr. Trump told reporters that he was attaching “China” to the name of the virus to combat a disinformation campaign promoted by Beijing officials that the American military was the source of the outbreak.”](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/politics/china-virus.html)" > > Do you deny that? Trump didn’t say that? The disinformation by Chinese officials Trump speaks of is covered in multiple cites I’ve provided in this thread such as: …Donald Trump has made over [15,000 false or misleading statements since being in office](https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-has-now-made-over-15000-false-or-misleading-claims-in-office-says-washington-post). I have no reason to believe he is telling the truth here. You do understand that Donald Trump, as well as being a racist, is also a serial liar? > [@](#): > > [Official Communist Party publication Xinhua has published several articles questioning COVID-19’s provenance, and the state-run Global Times wrote, “As the U.S. COVID-19 situation becomes increasingly obscure, the Chinese public shares the suspicion raised by Zhao Lijian that the U.S. might be the source of the virus and that the U.S. is subject [to] questioning and is obliged to explain [its role to] the world.”](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/inside-chinas-campaign-to-blame-the-us-for-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-03-15) > > And I’ll add one more now: [Chinese diplomat promotes conspiracy theory that US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan](https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/13/asia/china-coronavirus-us-lijian-zhao-intl-hnk/index.html) Chinese diplomat conspiracy theories have nothing to do with my opinion on what Trump and his administration have said. > [@](#): > > Those things you say are not true, are true, they are part of a public record that anyone can see by themselves, just because you hate Trump doesn’t give you the right to your own facts and no matter how much you huff and puff what you are saying stands in stark opposition to actual reality. No matter how much you huff and you puff: it doesn’t change the fact that Donald Trump is as racist as fuck and he is using racist dogwhistles to rile up his base. > [@](#): > > Beyond a shadow of a doubt your claims are false and at every instance I have brought this to your attention you have doubled down in your denials of plain, verifiable facts. Beyond a shadow of a doubt I can assure you my opinion that Donald Trump is racist as fuck is an opinion I formed on my own based on publicly verifiable facts and wasn’t the result of CCP propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/207 "2020-03-23T02:55:15Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Beyond a shadow of a doubt your claims are false and at every instance I have brought this to your attention you have doubled down in your denials of plain, verifiable facts. > > _“I’m certainly not arguing from ignorance”_ > That I’ll grant you, there’s more than just plain ignorance at play here. Uh, you must not realize that there was an “if” in what \*\*Banquet Bear \*\*said there, that even if true, and it is, then the following applies: “You would agree that this is a pathetic, petty, ridiculous reason for Donald Trump to cross out “corona” with a sharpie and replace it with China, don’t you?” Well it seems that indeed, Trump goes for the pathetic, petty, ridiculous reasons to unsettle others (the fact that China’s rulers are attempting to toss other conspiracies is once again not a good reason for the Cheeto in chief to fall for an own goal as experts pointed out in the cite you made: > [@](#): > > But the term has angered Chinese officials and a wide range of critics, and China experts say labeling the virus that way will only ratchet up tensions between the two countries, while resulting in the kind of xenophobia that American leaders should discourage. Asian-Americans have reported incidents of racial slurs and physical abuse because of the erroneous perception that China is the cause of the virus. > > “The use of this term is not only corrosive vis-à-vis a global audience, including here at home, it is also fueling a narrative in China about a broader American hatred and fear of not just the Chinese Communist Party but of China and Chinese people in general,” said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/208 "2020-03-23T06:30:08Z")
Choosing who is worse between the Chinese government and Trump is like choosing who to root for in the (past) war between Iran and Iraq. Or deciding which imperialistic country “really” owns the Spratly Islands. But in my part of the world, we’ve always felt a bit miffed that the “Barnsdale Ulcer” became the [Buruli ulcer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buruli_ulcer) just because somebody in Buruli had described it 100 years earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/209 "2020-03-23T08:02:26Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Uh, you must not realize that there was an “if” in what \*\*Banquet Bear \*\*said there, that even if true, and it is, then the following applies: > > “You would agree that this is a pathetic, petty, ridiculous reason for Donald Trump to cross out “corona” with a sharpie and replace it with China, don’t you?” > > Well it seems that indeed, Trump goes for the pathetic, petty, ridiculous reasons to unsettle others (the fact that China’s rulers are attempting to toss other conspiracies is once again not a good reason for the Cheeto in chief to fall for an own goal as experts pointed out in the cite you made: “Uh, you must not realize that there was an “if” in what \*\*Banquet Bear **said there, that even if true, \*\* and it is** , then the following applies:” This the actual quote from Banquet Bear. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Snipped and bolded by me > > Lets for the purposes of debate assume the bolded is true (and \*\* I don’t think it is\*\* .) You would agree that this is a pathetic, petty, ridiculous reason for Donald Trump to cross out “corona” with a sharpie and replace it with China, don’t you? > > Snipped You changed what Banquet Bear said on post 195 from “I don’t think it is” to “and it is”, which is exactly the opposite of what he said. Congratulations, you reached rock bottom level. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/210 "2020-03-23T08:15:51Z")
I don’t even know what the debate is at this point. The rules for naming diseases were updated before the current crisis, and for sound reasons. Is anyone arguing that it’s a \*good \*thing that the whole Ebola region has been stigmatized? Meanwhile if the argument is “We’ve named it, why change now?”, the name used most often by the man on the street is “coronavirus”. Which, scientifically, is of course ambiguous, but colloquially it’s fine because it’s the first time the masses have referred to something as coronavirus. So the people trying to change the name are in fact the ones saying it should become Wuhan virus or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/211 "2020-03-23T08:23:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > the name used most often by the man on the street is “coronavirus” In case anyone disputes this, these are the google hits for the various terms (and note I didn’t even use quote marks so things like Wuhan virus are artificially boosted here by some of the hits not even including the word Wuhan). (billions of results) Coronavirus: 20.70 Covid: 18.37 China virus: 3.29 Chinese virus: 3.15 Wuhan virus: 0.23 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/212 "2020-03-23T08:31:30Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > … Are those names racist? If not, how do they differ from ‘Wuhan Coronavirus’? Answered in #134: > [@septimus](#): > > Calling the disease “Wuhan virus” BEFORE the more official “Covid-19” came into general use was NOT racist. Calling it “Chinese virus” AFTER the more official “Covid-19” came into general use IS \*very \*racist. @ **Mr. Stone** — Do you acknowledge that Trump’s use of “Chinese virus” was deliberately intended to poke blame at China, and thereby deflect from his own incompetence? With all the world now using the name “Covid-19”, what purpose does calling it “Chinese virus” serve? ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/213 "2020-03-23T08:43:39Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Are you now going to argue that “Chinese virus” isn’t racist, but “white people plague” is? > > [Was 'Coronavirus' Replaced with 'Chinese Virus' in Trump's Notes? | Snopes.com](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-chinese-virus-notes/) Nope. I’m saying consistency is good. We all agree that ‘Flu’ isn’t racist. Therefore, if ‘Wuhan flu’ _is_ racist, it must be because of the addition of the place name, which some people find unfairly stigmatising. If that’s the rule, fine. But then we should retire ‘Lyme Disease’ as a name. Because ‘Lyme’ is a place name, and according to the rule that means ‘Lyme Disease’ is racist. On the other hand, if ‘Lyme Disease’ _isn’t_ racist, then I can’t see why ‘Wuhan Flu’ _is._ I would agree that the label ‘Chinese Virus’ is unfairly anti-Chinese. I wouldn’t necessarily call it _racist_ because Chinese is a nationality, not a race. But that’s a bit of a pedantic distinction. The term is unacceptable in any event. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/214 "2020-03-23T08:59:13Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Nope. I’m saying consistency is good. We all agree that ‘Flu’ isn’t racist. Therefore, if ‘Wuhan flu’ _is_ racist, it must be because of the addition of the place name, which some people find unfairly stigmatising. If that’s the rule, fine. But then we should retire ‘Lyme Disease’ as a name. Because ‘Lyme’ is a place name, and according to the rule that means ‘Lyme Disease’ is racist. There’s a big difference between setting new standards for disease naming and insisting that everyone retroactively change a name that’s been used for decades already. Firstly, even if it’s feasible to change the scientific name, the popular name is extremely hard to reverse, hence “coronavirus” is still common even as we have a more accurate name. Secondly it would mean possible confusion, as stacks of data, documents and references contain the old name, and it’s not just for Lyme disease, it would be for dozens of the most common diseases. I don’t want to make discussion and research of pathogens more annoying by everyone needing to learn a new vocabulary. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/215 "2020-03-23T09:28:42Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Nope. I’m saying consistency is good. We all agree that ‘Flu’ isn’t racist. Therefore, if ‘Wuhan flu’ _is_ racist, it must be because of the addition of the place name, which some people find unfairly stigmatising. If that’s the rule, fine. But then we should retire ‘Lyme Disease’ as a name. Because ‘Lyme’ is a place name, and according to the rule that means ‘Lyme Disease’ is racist. I’m not seeing a downside here. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/216 "2020-03-23T09:35:29Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Secondly it would mean possible confusion, as stacks of data, documents and references contain the old name, and it’s not just for Lyme disease, it would be for dozens of the most common diseases. I don’t want to make discussion and research of pathogens more annoying by everyone needing to learn a new vocabulary. That’s a fair point. Objection withdrawn 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/217 "2020-03-23T11:53:19Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > You changed what Banquet Bear said on post 195 from “I don’t think it is” to “and it is”, which is exactly the opposite of what he said. > > Congratulations, you reached rock bottom level. Here we’ve deviated from the discussion to make meta-comments about each others’ posts. I voluntarily tracked down this confusion. Here is the relevant text. [Material between brackets is my clarifications.] Ale: [INDENT] [1] The reason this thread exists in the first place is … Trump referring to the SARS 2 virus as the Chinese Virus and the subsequent pearl clutching that ensued; [2] the reason why that happened was in response to [2b] Chinese state propaganda trying to deny the origin of the virus, which you now say you where not aware of. Banquet Bear: [3a] Lets for the purposes of debate assume the bolded [2b] is true [3b] (and I don’t think it is.) [3c] You would [then] agree that this is a pathetic, petty, ridiculous reason for Donald Trump to cross out “corona” with a sharpie and replace it with China, don’t you? Ale: Provides substantial evidence for [2b] GIGObuster (with emphasis by sgs7): Uh, you must not realize that there was an [implicit] “if” in [3a-3b], that even if true, **and it is** , then [3c] applies[/INDENT] Ignoring the validity of 2b and/or 3c, the latest accusation is that the “and it is” by **Gigobuster** is a misinterpretation of **Mr. Bear** ’s post. **Gigo** ’s post could and should have been written much more clearly but I interpreted the “and it is” as it was intended — an expression of **Gigo** ’s opinion, not **Mr. Bear** ’s. The objection (“You changed what Banquet Bear said”) is over-ruled. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/218 "2020-03-23T12:14:37Z")
> [@Unreconstructed\_Man](#): > > Nope. I’m saying consistency is good. Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. (I’m not saying you have a small mind, I’m saying that consistency is not a worthy goal in and of itself.). And as you have been told, the convention of naming diseases has changed to address various concerns - you don’t expect scientific terminology to remain consistent over all time, do you? > [@](#): > > Therefore, if ‘Wuhan flu’ _is_ racist, it must be because of the addition of the place name, which some people find unfairly stigmatising. If that’s the rule, fine. But then we should retire ‘Lyme Disease’ as a name. Lyme disease was named in line with the convention at the time. Wuhan flu is NOT in line with current guidelines, and if you believe that various nationalists aren’t trying to change the actual name of the disease for racist and/or political purposes, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. > [@](#): > > I would agree that the label ‘Chinese Virus’ is unfairly anti-Chinese. I wouldn’t necessarily call it _racist_ because Chinese is a nationality, not a race. But that’s a bit of a pedantic distinction. The term is unacceptable in any event. Jesus Christ, you agree that changing the name of COVID-19 to some things is unfair, but changing it to other things is fair? What happened to your search for consistency? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/219 "2020-03-23T12:32:43Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Here we’ve deviated from the discussion to make meta-comments about each others’ posts. I voluntarily tracked down this confusion. Here is the relevant text. [Material between brackets is my clarifications.] > > Ale: > [INDENT] [1] The reason this thread exists in the first place is … Trump referring to the SARS 2 virus as the Chinese Virus and the subsequent pearl clutching that ensued; > [2] the reason why that happened was in response to > [2b] Chinese state propaganda trying to deny the origin of the virus, which you now say you where not aware of. > > Banquet Bear: > [3a] Lets for the purposes of debate assume the bolded [2b] is true > [3b] (and I don’t think it is.) > [3c] You would [then] agree that this is a pathetic, petty, ridiculous reason for Donald Trump to cross out “corona” with a sharpie and replace it with China, don’t you? > > Ale: > Provides substantial evidence for [2b] > > GIGObuster (with emphasis by sgs7): > Uh, you must not realize that there was an [implicit] “if” in [3a-3b], that even if true, **and it is** , then [3c] applies[/INDENT] > > Ignoring the validity of 2b and/or 3c, the latest accusation is that the “and it is” by **Gigobuster** is a misinterpretation of **Mr. Bear** ’s post. **Gigo** ’s post could and should have been written much more clearly but I interpreted the “and it is” as it was intended — an expression of **Gigo** ’s opinion, not **Mr. Bear** ’s. > > The objection (“You changed what Banquet Bear said”) is over-ruled. You got it, your honor. What is sad is that **Ale** continues to miss that in several posts I do agree with him that the Chinese leadership are doing dishonorable things, and saying dishonarable things; but, regarding the naming of the virus thing, the Chinese have a point. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807/220 "2020-03-23T17:56:48Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > A bit of a moot point to dwell on that. > > From the 2015 World Health Organization Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Disease that many are not reading, even though it was cited about 4 times already: > > [https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/163636/WHO\_HSE\_FOS\_15.1\_eng.pdf?sequence=1](https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/163636/WHO_HSE_FOS_15.1_eng.pdf?sequence=1) I think everyone is familiar with the what, the why is what people are arguing about. Why not name it after a region? Snowflakes? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-and-wuhan-virus-only-because-wuhan-is-a-fairly-well-known-large-city/849807.md?page=12)