MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In tonight’s Ransom Note: calling Coronavirus the “China Virus.”
Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves keeps referring to COVID-19 as such, and we asked about it today.
"The reality is the people who are from China who are from America are not our enemies. The people of China are not our enemies, but there is no question that the Communist party of China certainly is no friend or ally of the United States of America."
The President also uses the phrase all the time. This is also the same president who referred to the head of the Chinese Communist Party as a great friend doing an incredible job of handling the spread of COVID-19.
We’ve called other viruses by a place before, such as, the Spanish Flu, West Nile Virus, and Ebola to name a few.
But we also used to only name hurricanes after women. People would say the storm showed it was “no lady” or “she just can’t make up her mind where she wants to go.”
My point is that language evolves, and if we know Asians are being discriminated against or experiencing violence based on what we call a virus, and there are many documented cases of this happening, then our leaders have a responsibility not to stoke the flames.
Governor Reeves knows better. He’s pandering and he should stop.
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