NYT Refused To Investigate "Racist" Lab-Leak "Conspiracy" Theory

But the press was all over the use of the terms 'Wuhan virus' and 'China virus' as mystically, poetically, unprovably "racist" and stigma-y! 

   Look, I tend to focus on the pure irrationality of politically correct terminology. 'Wuhan virus,' 'China virus,' 'Chinese virus,' etc. were perfectly fine names. The former was already established in common parlance. Such terms might not have been used by scientists when the most technical terminology was in play, but that doesn't matter to ordinary people. Claims to the effect that the terms were racist were the utterest bullshit--they are not and never were. Place-name origins for diseases have long been common--and remain common now--e.g. 'UK variant,' 'Brazilian variant.' The progressive establishment was busted using those recently, and only switched away in order to defend their previous shrieking about 'Wuhan virus.' Even if outdated, the terms were not racist. It goes without saying accusations of racism are almost nothing more than a tic on the left now. The vast majority of such accusations are hilariously ridiculous. As for the accusation that they cause "stigma"--well, we could discuss that one--but it's also mostly false.

   BUT: important as it is to defeat such arguments in detail, others without such interests and scruples tend to focus on a more overtly important point: the shrieking about 'Wuhan virus' etc. was more than just a baroque working out of progressive terminological obsessions: it was part of a massive--we might even say "institutional!" or "systemic!" effort to politically harm Trump, suppress the truth, and shield the CCP...which has, make no mistake about it, become some kind of darling of American progressivism. To revive a bad old locution from the neocon GWOT lexicon: American progressives have become "objectively pro-CCP"...

   Look: linguistic shenanigans typically have a point. Even when they don't, they almost always have nefarious effects. They are intended to obscure, conflate, and confuse. I think it's important to focus clearly on the sheer logical (in the broad sense) errors involved. But it's more overtly important to recognize that politically correct language--i.e. postmodern-progressive-left propaganda language--is generally used to obscure the facts and achieve some leftist end. In brief: the progressive establishment was shielding China from blame, and shrieking about the alleged "racism" of 'China virus' was, rather obviously, part of that bigger effort. To some extent they were doing it to harm Trump, who positioned himself as prominently anti-CCP. But to some extent, progressivism--as an institution--had darker motives. As others have noted, the affinities between the progressive left and the ChiComs are significant and alarming.