Illnesses, specifically viruses, have traditionally been named after their locations of origin -- such as the West Nile virus, Spanish flu and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). However, people are taking offense to Covid being labelled from its place of origin when no one made a peep about the others.
Why?
I suppose part of the equation is the severity of the Pandemic. Covid by far has cost more lives and money than all the others combined, and has effected the entire world. But is there another reason? I suspect it has to do with how China has become one of the largest economies in the world, which wields enormous politically clout abroad, which is why you had people wary of defending the protesters in Hong Kong who were protesting for their freedoms. People were simply scared to upset a country that has so much fiscal power over them.
But critics of the labels called them "racist" and "xenophobic," insisting such terms would incite hate crimes against Asian-Amercans.
Maher mocked the complainers, listing several other
@whodey said”Covid by far has cost more lives...”
Illnesses, specifically viruses, have traditionally been named after their locations of origin -- such as the West Nile virus, Spanish flu and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). However, people are taking offense to Covid being labelled from its place of origin when no one made a peep about the others.
Why?
I suppose part of the equation is the severity of the Pan ...[text shortened]... ould incite hate crimes against Asian-Amercans.
Maher mocked the complainers, listing several other
And yet you want people to forget about it and get back to work.
@great-king-rat saidI have been an advocate for people to receive proper PPE (which they can't obtain) so they can use their own discretion to do what they think is best.
”Covid by far has cost more lives...”
And yet you want people to forget about it and get back to work.
In my other thread about Michigan and Ohio, I have shown, both states started similar policies, with similar population levels and racial demographics, yet one is suffering much more horribly than the other.
Why? Obviously, these policies are not at the heart of it and not trying to understand it is a mistake.
Incidentally, the Spanish flu has killed far more people than Covid has or ever will.
@whodey saidSo far there have been 1,710,000 confirmed cases of covid-19. The world wide death toll is 103,506. Spanish flu infected about 500 million and estimates of the death toll vary between 17 and 50 million people. So covid-19 has not yet cost more lives than all the other diseases combined. Further, Spanish flu did not originate in Spain - as has been discussed in threads in this forum. Put a small amount of effort into checking your facts in future.
Illnesses, specifically viruses, have traditionally been named after their locations of origin -- such as the West Nile virus, Spanish flu and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). However, people are taking offense to Covid being labelled from its place of origin when no one made a peep about the others.
Why?
I suppose part of the equation is the severity of the Pan ...[text shortened]... ould incite hate crimes against Asian-Amercans.
Maher mocked the complainers, listing several other
@deepthought saidYes, I just amended my thread above which drives home the point that no one has a problem with calling the Spanish flu Spanish but they do have a problem relating a Chinese name to Covid.
So far there have been 1,710,000 confirmed cases of covid-19. The world wide death toll is 103,506. Spanish flu infected about 500 million and estimates of the death toll vary between 17 and 50 million people. So covid-19 has not yet cost more lives than all the other diseases combined. Further, Spanish flu did not originate in Spain - as has been discussed in threads in this forum. Put a small amount of effort into checking your facts in future.
However, keep in mind that that outbreak was at a time where PC was not out of control like it is now, and it is ancient history.
11 Apr 20
@whodey saidAccording to you, this virus has cost more lives than “all the others combined”. Also according to you, the president of your country should forget about this illness and tell people to “get back to work”.
I have been an advocate for people to receive proper PPE so they can use their own discretion to do what they think is best.
In my other thread about Michigan and Ohio, I have shown, both states started similar policies, with similar population levels and racial demographics, yet one is suffering much more horribly than the other.
Why? Obviously, these policies are not at the heart of it and not trying to understand it is a mistake.
Your words.
We can see day in and day out what happens if people disregard the social distancing regulations. Crowded shops, crowded bars, crowded concerts, crowded work places, crowded beaches.
If people indeed are allowed to follow their own instincts, the number of deaths we’re seeing right now (“has cost more lives than all others combined”, according to you) would be a speck of dust compared to the number of deaths we’d see then. And it wouldn’t be just virus deaths, we’d see. We’d also see traffic deaths, heart disease deaths and cancer deaths explode as health care simply would not have the necessary materials and manpower to deal with all the sick people.
We’d see a tragedy you couldn’t even imagine while jerking off over the biggest apocalypse stories in your bible.
9/11 would pale, absolutely pale, in comparison.
To recap: you simultaneously believe this virus is already causing more deaths than “all others combined” and you want no regulations but let people decide for themselves, even though we can see how people behave when they’re not told over and over again to maintain social distancing.
Are you just longing for an apocalypse?
@whodey saidWe are all aware of the Spanish flu, which happened a century ago.
Illnesses, specifically viruses, have traditionally been named after their locations of origin -- such as the West Nile virus, Spanish flu and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). However, people are taking offense to Covid being labelled from its place of origin when no one made a peep about the others.
Why?
I suppose part of the equation is the severity of the Pan ...[text shortened]... ould incite hate crimes against Asian-Amercans.
Maher mocked the complainers, listing several other
The problem with (nick)naming the current virus is not so much with the name.
It is more that it falls into the hands of someone like Trump who will use the name to deflect responsibility for America's late response away from himself.
And also to stir up nationalism and xenophobia within his voter support base.
In fact, I preferred it when he just said "I don't accept responsibility."
People didn't have their tongue in cheek when they made reference to the Spanish flu.
Not like the tongue in cheek we see from the current President.
@whodey saidNot true. The Spanish Flu is estimated to have killed somewhere between 50 million to 100 million people. Covid-19 is nowhere close. Let's hope it stays that way.
Covid by far has cost more lives and money than all the others combined, and has effected the entire world.
Regarding naming this virus, again, context is everything. Trump is an infamous xenophobe who has attacked China many times, whether through the trade war or false claims that global warming is a hoax conjured up by China. So since Trump is trying to deflect blame for his own inaction regarding the virus on China, people are understandably more upset than with the previous viruses you mention; especially given the flagrant disrespect, like Republicans calling it "Kung Flu".
11 Apr 20
Can we stop naming things because of what morons might do with the term?
I dunno.
The Spanish flu had nothing to do with Spain (other than they reported on it).
MERS... nobody cares where it comes from.
Sars-cov-2 originated in the wet markets in China.
Why not call it Wuhan corona?
I couldn’t care less.
What’s far more important is that culture has to change. The culture of Asian wet markets has an economic history. If you want to stop this sort of inter-species spreading, you have to eliminate the cause of the economics which enable it.
@shavixmir saidI don't have a problem with it either. But the culture of the times *could* make that inappropriate, just like with the term "Oriental". Trump could be responsible for naming epidemics by region an offensive practice. We'll see.
Can we stop naming things because of what morons might do with the term?
I dunno.
The Spanish flu had nothing to do with Spain (other than they reported on it).
MERS... nobody cares where it comes from.
Sars-cov-2 originated in the wet markets in China.
Why not call it Wuhan corona?
I couldn’t care less.
What’s far more important is that culture has to chan ...[text shortened]... s sort of inter-species spreading, you have to eliminate the cause of the economics which enable it.
12 Apr 20
@shavixmir saidOr Euro Trash being called intelligent.
I’m sick and tired of political correct BS.
It’s gonna end up with Manchester being called Peoplechester, Blackpool renamed Colouredpool and trailer park rednecks being called human.
12 Apr 20
@shavixmir saidYou need to learn the facts before repeating baseless rumors as if they are facts.
Can we stop naming things because of what morons might do with the term?
I dunno.
The Spanish flu had nothing to do with Spain (other than they reported on it).
MERS... nobody cares where it comes from.
Sars-cov-2 originated in the wet markets in China.
Why not call it Wuhan corona?
I couldn’t care less.
What’s far more important is that culture has to chan ...[text shortened]... s sort of inter-species spreading, you have to eliminate the cause of the economics which enable it.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/wuhan-seafood-market-may-not-be-source-novel-virus-spreading-globally
Scroll down and read where it says "Where Did the Virus Come From?"
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6477/492.full
The conclusion is that nobody knows, but there is reason to doubt the origin was Wuhan.
12 Apr 20
@metal-brain saidI couldn’t care less.
You need to learn the facts before repeating baseless rumors as if they are facts.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/wuhan-seafood-market-may-not-be-source-novel-virus-spreading-globally
Scroll down and read where it says "Where Did the Virus Come From?"
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6477/492.full
The conclusion is that nobody knows, but there is reason to doubt the origin was Wuhan.
Call it Breda flu for all I bloody care.