What do we call the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China? “Coronavirus” seems to be the accepted standard, even though that’s a whole family of viruses, not just the specific one that has locked down the planet. COVID-19 is specific but kinda blah. I’ve been calling it the Wu Flu for brevity and accuracy. The White House calls it the China Virus. But there’s an even better name:
Did he yell “this is maga country” right after?
Did you remember to pick up your Subway sandwich?— Joey Saladino (@JoeySalads) March 19, 2020
Kung Flu. I like it.
Still: since when is naming a disease after the place it came from/was detected/was identified at “racist?”
West Nile
Ebola Zaire
Ebola Reston
Marburg (Germany)
Guinea Worm
MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Spanish Flu (even though it seems to have originated in Kansas)
Lyme Disease (Old Lyme, Connecticut)
Zika (Zika Forest, Uganda)
Japanese encephalitis
Ross River (Queensland, Oz) Fever
Norovirus (Norwalk, Ohio)
Lassa (Nigeria) Fever
German Measles
Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever (Russia)
Hantavirus (Hantan, South Korea)
La Crosse (Wisconsin) Encephalitis
Hong Kong Flu
Yes, it’s a nightmare. As previously mentioned, I’ve got a reasonable expectation that I myself will be dead inside of a month or two, due to craptacular lungs which are probably primed to simply dissolve if I get it. And along with myself, it’s not impossible that millions of other Americans could die of this thing in a similar timeframe, especially if people keep acting stupidly. That said: if you’re looking at an existential crisis, what better way to confront it than with humor?
More memes after the break.
