Is it still legal to call it Wuhan virus?
It's a pleasure to read a technical article trying to sort through the origin of the SARS virus that causes COVID without running into constant special pleading or politically driven "just so" stories. Nicholas Wade used to write for the New York Times, but evidently in an era when that was compatible with retaining rigor and honesty of thought and expression. He won't definitively conclude that the COVID virus emerged from a Wuhan lab, but he believes that conclusion is so far the best bet by a considerable margin. He also points out the trashiness of much of the public discourse on this controversy starting over a year ago.
Mr. Wade's Wiki writeup sniffs that he believes genes have important effects on human characteristics. No wonder he quit writing for the NYT in 2012.
To answer the headline question (the linked-to article is, in fact, quite good, opines this layman), I ask those who object to the label "Wuhan Virus" to identify their preferred pronouns for the Ebola, Zika, and West Nile viruses. I also ask that they identify their preferred pronouns for the Brazilian, UK, and South African variants of the Wuhan Virus.
ReplyDeleteMost run away when I ask. One woman did respond; she accused me of mocking hurt feelings, even though she could identify none other than her own Leftist White Savior feelz.
Eric Hines
We could call it the Comrade virus, to express solidarity.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to mock any hurt feelings.
Well, you've always been a nicer person than me, T.
ReplyDeleteEric Hines