# The term "India variant" -- unobjectionable? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [May 20, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565 "2021-05-20T17:54:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/1 "2021-05-20T17:54:22Z")
I accepted the argument that tacking geographical names onto viruses (“China virus”) was unhelpful and, in some contexts, even xenophobic. Yet now I’m reading every day about the “India variant.” What happened? ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/2 "2021-05-20T19:03:50Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Yet now I’m reading every day about the “India variant.” What happened? The objection to using geographic names isn’t universal. Furthermore, there are a lot of variants now, and it’s either place names, which people can remember, or names like B.1.617, which people can’t. So a lot of media is just going with place names. I suspect that’s how it’s going to be until there’s another alternative. ---
**Author:** ![cytop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f17d59/32.png) [@cytop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cytop)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/3 "2021-05-20T19:10:25Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > tacking geographical names … was unhelpful and, in some contexts, even xenophobic Looks at OPs screen name 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/4 "2021-05-20T19:11:27Z")
I can see how it might be considered objectionable. But if it’s factually accurate to say “variant currently prevalent in India” or historically correct to call it “variant first detected in India”, how would anyone prevent it from being shorthanded down to “India variant”? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/5 "2021-05-20T22:31:34Z")
Why would the term “India variant” be objectionable, when we hear about the “U.K. variant” all of the time? ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/6 "2021-05-20T22:39:22Z")
The idea being that naming diseases after places (including ‘UK Variant’) is objectionable because it causes some people to cast aspersions upon the residents of that place. However, Asians and Africans are much more likely to suffer from racist attitudes in the United States than Brits, so here at least, ‘India Variant’ is more objectionable than ‘UK Variant.’ That said, as I stated above, until there’s a viable alternative, we’re going to keep using the geographic names regardless of objectionability. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/7 "2021-05-21T00:03:11Z")
Naming it after countries or other place names, is either objectionable, or it’s not. One can’t say that there’s a rational difference between “India variant” or a “U.K. variant”. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/8 "2021-05-21T00:07:25Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Naming it after countries or other place names, is either objectionable, or it’s not. - **One can’t say that there’s a rational difference between “India variant” or a “U.K. variant”.** Once again, you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/9 "2021-05-21T00:07:32Z")
India is enormous - can they really not be more specific? It’s not the Delhi variant, or the Mumbai variant, or whatever? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/10 "2021-05-21T00:29:04Z")
Prove it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/11 "2021-05-21T01:41:23Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Naming it after countries or other place names, is either objectionable, or it’s not. One can’t say that there’s a rational difference between “India variant” or a “U.K. variant” Some people want it both ways. [![](https://i.imgur.com/5H0qNjK.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/5H0qNjK.png) ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/12 "2021-05-21T03:35:07Z")
For me, “India variant” carries much less weight than “China virus”. A named variant is just one of many, a particular twist on something that already exists. Naming a virus after a country carries a bit more implication that that country is at fault somehow, that it “let” the virus take hold or proliferate or worse created it. In a better world, these things would be easily dismissed and wouldn’t matter, but here and now they do. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/13 "2021-05-21T04:44:27Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > For me, “India variant” carries much less weight than “China virus”. It’s also a lot less loaded. Like you mentioned, India variant isn’t blaming India for the virus, just describing the country where the variant was first noticed. But with that, if it was called the ‘bollywood variant’ or ‘curry variant’ or something that goes [more] over the line, I could see it being more an issue. If covid was simply called the ‘china virus’, it may still be racist but maybe not enough to be as concerned about at that moment. I think calling it kung-flu and wuhun flu\*, and doing so with, what a appeared to be, a very racist/blame them not me tone, is what caused the backlash. \*I know wuhun is the name of the city, but to someone with racist tendencies, it has a ‘funny sounding Chinese name’, in the same way that someone, in a racist way, might mash a bunch of random syllables together to imitate an Asian name or refer to someone from the middle east as alibaba or aladin. If it was called the Beijing virus, I’m not sure the push to refer to it as covid would have been as strong. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/14 "2021-05-21T12:43:28Z")
We’ve already had this conversation: > [@"China virus" is clearly racist. Why isn't "UK variant"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/china-virus-is-clearly-racist-why-isnt-uk-variant/932222): > > I am firmly in the camp that using the phrase “China virus” is racist on its face and that anyone that uses it is doing so to parrot Trump who is IMO, a racist. But when I hear the phrases “UK variant”, “Brazilian variant”, or “South African variant”, I don’t think of racism at all. I prefer to be consistent in my thinking and I’m having difficulty justifying my thoughts. I’m left with the conclusion that “China virus” isn’t in and of itself a racist phrase but that there is an underlying mes… ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/15 "2021-05-21T12:59:46Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Naming it after countries or other place names, is either objectionable, or it’s not. One can’t say that there’s a rational difference between “India variant” or a “U.K. variant”. Dude, you just can’t say that one rule applies to everyone! What are you thinking?! I think we need to setup a special commission with emissaries from all over the world. They will come together and investigate tens of thousands of place names and decide which are objectionable and which are not. They shall report out weekly with a giant matrix of acceptableness (scale of 1 to 7) of place names. I hope they start working soon! ---
**Author:** ![cytop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f17d59/32.png) [@cytop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cytop)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/16 "2021-05-21T13:01:55Z")
Does the same apply to foods? For example a Beef ~~Madras~~ Chennai, ~~Bombay~~ Mumbai duck or even ~~Peking~~ Beijing duck. All objectionable? The whole thing is silly, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/17 "2021-05-21T18:28:19Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Naming it after countries or other place names, is either objectionable, or it’s not. One can’t say that there’s a rational difference between “India variant” or a “U.K. variant”. I’m unclear where my post that you were replying to was confusing to you, so let me try this again: - They’re all objectionable - Some moreso than other for contextual reasons - We still don’t have a better alternative > [@cytop](#): > > Does the same apply to foods? For example a Beef ~~Madras~~ Chennai, ~~Bombay~~ Mumbai duck or even ~~Peking~~ Beijing duck. All objectionable? Uh, no. Why would they be? Viruses are bad, so associating them with places and the people who live there is also bad. Food is not bad, ergo, the same problem doesn’t exist. ---
**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:** [May 21, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/18 "2021-05-21T19:32:28Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Food is not bad, ergo, the same problem doesn’t exist. Unless we’re talking about Manhattan clam chowder. That stuff is awful. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/19 "2021-05-21T23:54:26Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I’m unclear where my post that you were replying to was confusing to you, so let me try this again: I’m not confused at all; I think your opinion is silly. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2021, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565/20 "2021-05-22T00:03:31Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Furthermore, there are a lot of variants now, and it’s either place names, which people can remember, or names like B.1.617, which people can’t. So a lot of media is just going with place names. I suspect that’s how it’s going to be until there’s another alternative. The news stories that I"ve seen in Canada tend to say something likfe “variant #.#.#.#, which was first identified in country X”. That seems a reasonable approach. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-india-variant-unobjectionable/942565.md?page=2)