Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Chinese Virus! Chinese Virus! Chinese Virus!!!!!

LOL what a shitshow.
   I mean, mostly fine I guess...given Trump's weaknesses and the extreme crapitude of the press corps. But that stupid terminology stuff...Jebus.
   Look. The best term is probably something in the vicinity of 'Wuhan coronavirus.' COVID-19 is perfectly fine...though it's the name of the illness, not the virus. The virus is also called 'SARS-CoV-2'...but no ordinary person will know that the hell you're talking about if you say that. If we stick to established naming conventions, 'Wuhan' or 'China' or 'Chinese' is going to be in there somewhere.
   And it is a Chinese virus--in the sense that it originated in China. It seems fine to me--especially given (a) China's shenanigans and (b) PC bullshit--to describe it as a Chinese virus. But it's weird to use 'the Chinese virus' as if it were a name.
   As usual, Trump pushes things too far. But also as usual, the PC cult simply cannot let it go. We've got bigger fish to fry. A reporter asked about the terminological BS almost immediately...as if this is something that should be taking up compute cycles and air time. Then it came up again. Then again. And they were still shrieking and gibbering about it as POTUS and the rest left the presser.
   Trump could easily make his point without pushing it so hard. He seems to me to be going rather too far. But it's good to push back against such idiocy, and perhaps better than he should go a bit too far in that respect than not far enough.
   As for alleged assaults against Asians in the U.S.: I doubt that the terminology has much to do with that. Everybody knows it came from Wuhan. It seems unlikely that anyone crazy enough to attack some random Asian person on that account is going to be either encouraged or discouraged by the terminology. It's a law-enforcement problem, not a terminological/scientific problem. Deal with it as such. Every time the PC left decides it doesn't like something, it claims it causes violence. Without proof.
   We need to draw the line and point out that we don't choose terminology for its practical social effects, but, rather, for reasons more closely connected with truth and intelligibility. Furthermore, the arguments alleging to show that terms like 'Wuhan coronavirus' are racist are not merely unsound, but ostentatiously so. At this rate, we should expect the PCs to begin insisting that it be called 'Straight White Male Virus,' as this would allegedly encourage attacks against the evilest group known to man (!), thus making things more equitable...
   Trump could make his point more effectively by sticking to e.g. 'Wuhan virus' and not being so ostentatious about calling it a Chinese virus. Let the PC reporters hang themselves with overreach. Subtlety, however, is not exactly his strong suit.

[Note that there's also nothing wrong with 'Kung flu.' This is what we call 'gallows humor,' ya idjits. It may be in poor taste--maybe--but it's not Z0MG TEH RAZIZT!!!!!!! Just stop with that shrieky nonsense.]

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