As reported, two teams clashed with Huntington General Store owners over the term “Chinese coronavirus” on their website.
What all parties want to do is the source of the antagonism related to the use of this term. Traditionally, disease designations have been assigned to the suspected geographic location of the outbreak, such as German measles, Spanish flu, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, to name a few.
Little stigma has been associated with those designations. Spain is a popular tourist destination, outdoor enthusiasts love the Rocky Mountains, and other people don’t go out of their way to avoid the other Connecticut folks.
According to tradition, it is possible that the virus was exactly called the Wuhan virus. So why the outcry around the “Chinese coronavirus”? One just wants to take a look at the White House’s “major divider” for pejorative connotation. President Donald Trump’s use of the term was intended to stoke animosity toward the Chinese and distract from their inept reaction to the virus here in the United States.
Blaming China would serve to keep its grassroots supporters ablaze, even knowing that it would lead to attacks on Asian Americans. So here is my recommendation for the parties involved in this local uproar: For those protesting the store, the owners have the right to refer to the disease in any way they choose. Those angry at the term would possibly make their own perspectives explicit or boycott the store, however, I recommend doing whatever it takes to defeat the main culprit and put your power in efforts such as “exit plans. ” vote”.
For those who help free speech and the Constitution, I recommend that you fear yourselves with more pressing issues, such as Trump’s attack on the lax press; his militarization of the Justice Department; his invitation to foreign interference in the next elections, his tactics of repression of the electorate and his violations of this annoying payment clause.
And for the general store owners: while you have the right to call the virus whatever you want, I hope you are sensitive to the damage that the president’s appointment creates for our Asian compatriots, and replace your wording to get the result. We are all neighbors here; department is useless.
Gerard simonette
Northampton