Why is calling Coronavirus 'China Virus' considered racist?

[Mizialand]

President Trump has often referred to the Coronavirus as 'China Virus' or 'Kung Flu' or even 'Wuhan Virus' for which he has been criticised on the grounds of racism. Racism can be viewed as systemic and active structural discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity. It differs from stereotype and prejudice in that it is the outward and practical manifestation of the same. In this context, calling coronavirus as 'China Virus' or 'Kung Flu' may be considered racist because it perpetuates the cause of the virus being those from the Asian American community (in the US) or from China. It may perpetuate the member of such community to be victim of hate crime.

However, merely calling the Coronavirus as 'China Virus' is not racist because:

1. The virus originated form Wuhan, China. Often the organisms are named on the basis of the place they were discovered/originated from eg., the New Delhi Super Bug.

2. Even though the WHO has named the virus, in common parlance, diseases are often referred to in terms of the places eg., Spanish flu.

3. Calling it the China virus is not aggression against the Chinese but merely a reiteration of the responsibility that China must bear in being the originating country of the virus and then deliberately obfuscating facts and manipulating data, not to mention its attempt to hide/downplay the outbreak initially.

4. It emphasises that China must be held responsible for the current state of global economy and receding of millions into the state of poverty and hunger, potentially reversing hard gained global efforts in these areas.

5. There is no evidence that calling it the 'Wuhan Virus', the 'China Virus', or 'kung flu' has led to rise in incidence of hate crime against Asian Americans or the Chinese.

6. Terminology depicting racial characters are often in Medicine without prejudice to any community for eg., Mongoloid facies in Thalessemia.

Still, do you think that calling the virus by such terms should be considered racist? How do you counter the above arguments?

[Borderlands of Rojava]

In theory it isn't. In practice alot of people don't just view it as a virus from China, but as a Chinese people virus.

[-Ocelot-]

Because the Chinese Communist Party said so and you better obey.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Because the Chinese Communist Party said so and you better obey.

They have way too much power on our shores.

[Untecna]

It's because if the CCP hears that one more time, they're going to nuke us

[Borderlands of Rojava]

It's because if the CCP hears that one more time, they're going to nuke us

"This is the limit! Im pushing it.. Now!"

-Xi

[Mizialand]

It's because if the CCP hears that one more time, they're going to nuke us

"This is the limit! Im pushing it.. Now!"

-Xi

I just saw the mushroom cloud outside! Help!

[Aeritai]

Why do I have a feeling this thread isn't going to be productive? Also shouldn't this be placed in the coronavirus thread?

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Everyone's supposed to call it Covid-19 now. This is an obvious exercise in political correctness by the China-centric WHO that the USA rightly defunded and withdrew from. I agree that Kung Flu crosses a line and in Trump's case, it was an honest mistake and he should refrain from saying it. I haven't heard him say it ever since. This is a good thing. But China virus and Wuhan virus are purely geographic and geopolitical. Chinese virus is somewhat ambiguous but still not racist. Again, the President has dropped Chinese virus in favor of China virus. I would prefer that Trump use the term CCP virus as this is purely a political term. But China virus is fine.

[Des-Bal]

In theory it isn't. In practice alot of people don't just view it as a virus from China, but as a Chinese people virus.

I see just as many people pretending it's a virus that just happens to have started in China to preserve the notion that a culture cannot have a problem if it isn't yours. The virus was caused by the behaviors of chinese people and it's spread was aided by the response of the chinese government.

[Vassenor]

President Trump has often referred to the Coronavirus as 'China Virus' or 'Kung Flu' or even 'Wuhan Virus' for which he has been criticised on the grounds of racism. Racism can be viewed as systemic and active structural discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity. It differs from stereotype and prejudice in that it is the outward and practical manifestation of the same. In this context, calling coronavirus as 'China Virus' or 'Kung Flu' may be considered racist because it perpetuates the cause of the virus being those from the Asian American community (in the US) or from China. It may perpetuate the member of such community to be victim of hate crime.

However, merely calling the Coronavirus as 'China Virus' is not racist because:

1. The virus originated form Wuhan, China. Often the organisms are named on the basis of the place they were discovered/originated from eg., the New Delhi Super Bug.

2. Even though the WHO has named the virus, in common parlance, diseases are often referred to in terms of the places eg., Spanish flu.

3. Calling it the China virus is not aggression against the Chinese but merely a reiteration of the responsibility that China must bear in being the originating country of the virus and then deliberately obfuscating facts and manipulating data, not to mention its attempt to hide/downplay the outbreak initially.

4. It emphasises that China must be held responsible for the current state of global economy and receding of millions into the state of poverty and hunger, potentially reversing hard gained global efforts in these areas.

5. There is no evidence that calling it the 'Wuhan Virus', the 'China Virus', or 'kung flu' has led to rise in incidence of hate crime against Asian Americans or the Chinese.

6. Terminology depicting racial characters are often in Medicine without prejudice to any community for eg., Mongoloid facies in Thalessemia.

Still, do you think that calling the virus by such terms should be considered racist? How do you counter the above arguments?

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But it's totally not down to the attempts of certain parties to associate the virus with Asians in general and the Chinese in particular. Totally nothing like that.

[Kexholm Karelia]

Because it offends winnie the pooh

[Torisakia]

Because then everyone will tie it to everything and anything Chinese including Chinese food and I don't want my Chinese food restaurants shut down.

[Estanglia]

I don't think it's racist.

Probably my biggest gripe with 'China Virus' is that it's really vague. You only know they're talking about COVID-19 because that's the big virus from China right now.

I dunno, I'm just mildly annoyed at the use of a vague term when a less-vague term exists.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

In theory it isn't. In practice alot of people don't just view it as a virus from China, but as a Chinese people virus.

I see just as many people pretending it's a virus that just happens to have started in China to preserve the notion that a culture cannot have a problem if it isn't yours. The virus was caused by the behaviors of chinese people and it's spread was aided by the response of the chinese government.

Be that as it may, it’s ridiculous to call it China virus. That only contributes to promote anti-Asian sentiment worldwide because stupid and ignorant people can’t distinguish. I’ll refer to it by its scientific name: SARS-CoV-2. Come the fuck on.

[Mizialand]

I don't think it's racist.

Probably my biggest gripe with 'China Virus' is that it's really vague. You only know they're talking about COVID-19 because that's the big virus from China right now.

I dunno, I'm just mildly annoyed at the use of a vague term when a less-vague term exists.

Well, calling it China Virus reminds us of that the action of one country has had on life of millions, especially the most vulnerable in the developing world. China cannot and will not pay for all this, but must it be not be blamed and shamed ?

[Vassenor]

I don't think it's racist.

Probably my biggest gripe with 'China Virus' is that it's really vague. You only know they're talking about COVID-19 because that's the big virus from China right now.

I dunno, I'm just mildly annoyed at the use of a vague term when a less-vague term exists.

Well, calling it China Virus reminds us of that the action of one country has had on life of millions, especially the most vulnerable in the developing world. China cannot and will not pay for all this, but must it be not be blamed and shamed ?

So how does not referring to it using epithets somehow absolve the Chinese government of blame?

[Estanglia]

I don't think it's racist.

Probably my biggest gripe with 'China Virus' is that it's really vague. You only know they're talking about COVID-19 because that's the big virus from China right now.

I dunno, I'm just mildly annoyed at the use of a vague term when a less-vague term exists.

Well, calling it China Virus reminds us of that the action of one country has had on life of millions, especially the most vulnerable in the developing world. China cannot and will not pay for all this, but must it be not be blamed and shamed ?

Blaming and shaming will do absolutely nothing.

The PRC isn't going to suddenly topple and keel over if you chant "China Virus" five times. China's too valuable of a trade partner to the West for the West to actually do something other than virtue signal, and if something was to change that, I'd imagine it'd be the thousands of corpses and the long-term economic damage, not the name of a virus. At best, calling it China Virus is a petty 'victory', and I don't particularly care about petty 'victories'.

Plus, if you're going to blame and shame, blame the CCP by using GHK's suggestion, rather than China as an entity.

[Mizialand]

Well, calling it China Virus reminds us of that the action of one country has had on life of millions, especially the most vulnerable in the developing world. China cannot and will not pay for all this, but must it be not be blamed and shamed ?

So how does not referring to it using epithets somehow absolve the Chinese government of blame?

It won't but no country in the world has guts to call out China. China is worse than the USSR.

[Senkaku]

Because people use it to whip up hatred towards Asian-Americans? case closed I think

In theory it isn't. In practice alot of people don't just view it as a virus from China, but as a Chinese people virus.

I see just as many people pretending it's a virus that just happens to have started in China to preserve the notion that a culture cannot have a problem if it isn't yours. The virus was caused by the behaviors of chinese people and it's spread was aided by the response of the chinese government.

And... subsequently by the behaviors of American people and the American government lol what's your point

[Vassenor]

Because people use it to whip up hatred towards Asian-Americans? case closed I think

I see just as many people pretending it's a virus that just happens to have started in China to preserve the notion that a culture cannot have a problem if it isn't yours. The virus was caused by the behaviors of chinese people and it's spread was aided by the response of the chinese government.

And... subsequently by the behaviors of American people and the American government lol what's your point

Clearly we need to start calling it the Trump virus then given how his attitude towards it has spawned a great many problems.

[Greater Malegron]

Because it is.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Everyone's supposed to call it Covid-19 now. This is an obvious exercise in political correctness by the China-centric WHO that the USA rightly defunded and withdrew from. I agree that Kung Flu crosses a line and in Trump's case, it was an honest mistake and he should refrain from saying it. I haven't heard him say it ever since. This is a good thing. But China virus and Wuhan virus are purely geographic and geopolitical. Chinese virus is somewhat ambiguous but still not racist. Again, the President has dropped Chinese virus in favor of China virus. I would prefer that Trump use the term CCP virus as this is purely a political term. But China virus is fine.

We call it covid-19 cause thats the actual scientific name.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Well, calling it China Virus reminds us of that the action of one country has had on life of millions, especially the most vulnerable in the developing world. China cannot and will not pay for all this, but must it be not be blamed and shamed ?

Blaming and shaming will do absolutely nothing.

The PRC isn't going to suddenly topple and keel over if you chant "China Virus" five times. China's too valuable of a trade partner to the West for the West to actually do something other than virtue signal, and if something was to change that, I'd imagine it'd be the thousands of corpses and the long-term economic damage, not the name of a virus. At best, calling it China Virus is a petty 'victory', and I don't particularly care about petty 'victories'.

We know where it came from. It’s well known. No ones going to forget the hand the CCP played in spreading it world-wide. No need to call the virus by that name. It’s clear that all that does is increase anti-Asian sentiment around the world because stupid people do abound who are incapable of exercising discernment.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

In theory it isn't. In practice alot of people don't just view it as a virus from China, but as a Chinese people virus.

I see just as many people pretending it's a virus that just happens to have started in China to preserve the notion that a culture cannot have a problem if it isn't yours. The virus was caused by the behaviors of chinese people and it's spread was aided by the response of the chinese government.

The actions of some Chinese people. Saying that Chinese people in general are the reason it spread is racist, especially when the target is like second or third generation Asian Americans including people who aren't even Chinese.