Poxy

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German measles? Spreading across Europe could bring back some negative memories.
Yellow fever? The Black Death? No colour stereotypes if you please.
Smallpox? Complaints from the little people - especially if combined with Yellow fever.

I am offended on all their behalves.
 
^woody^ said:
German measles? Spreading across Europe could bring back some negative memories.
Yellow fever? The Black Death? No colour stereotypes if you please.
Smallpox? Complaints from the little people - especially if combined with Yellow fever.

I am offended on all their behalves.
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Someone else trying to invent a new form of prejudice based on the colours of the rainbow. :rolleyes:

Bigotry must be deeply embedded in some when they try to invent new ways to justify and excuse such bigotry.
 
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The WHO?

What, everybody from all the member countries?


 
Ihavenojob said:
I know, I didn't say the name was racist, the WHO decided that it was.
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No they didn't. They said they had seen some racists using monkeypox in a racist way.
In order to avoid any stigma that could be attached to the name, by the racists, they prefer to change the name.

We have seen discrimination and messages stigmatising certain groups of people around this outbreak of monkeypox. We want to make it very clear that this is not right. This outbreak response should be implemented in full respect of established principles of human rights, inclusion and the dignity of all individuals and communities.
Stigma and discrimination are never ok, and it is not ok in relation to this outbreak. We are all in this together.
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Monkeypox

www.who.int www.who.int
 
Ihavenojob said:
If the name or term isn't racist, why did they change it? Can we still call someone a cheeky monkey?
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Of course you can. It's only racists who consider it racist, and use it in racist way. But I wouldn't recommend calling a black footballer that, they tend to take persistent references to monkeys as a racist jibe.

But the WHO wanted to avoid the racists using it in a racist way, so they thought they'd change the name.

I think it's backfired, rather like England wearing the armbands, then not wearing the armbands, the resulting publicity can have the opposite effect to that intended.
Maybe it's only racists that noticed the WHO's decision.
 
What about the term

Hong Kong flu ?? Spanish flu ?

Chinese Flu ?
 
We pay more attention to naming things now. Because we know that the names make a difference to how people will respond to the names and sometimes avoid treatment if there's a stigma.

The purpose of having a name rather than a scientific code is to allow us to tell people what they are at risk from or have caught so they can get treatment or take action. If you pick a bad name then it gets in the way of treatment so it gets changed.
 
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When the idiot Donald Trump used the term 'Kungflu' for Covid-19 then some idiots thought Asian people would give it to them and some experienced real harm. It also made it fractionally less likely for non-asians to get treatment.

Why not go for a more useful name if it helps?
 
The WHO report says that the term Monkeypox was observed online to lead to "racist and stigmatising language". It doesn't mention the context but I presume they don't mean racist and stigmatising to monkeys. It is slightly bizarre and I can't help thinking they have just drawn attention to something that didn't really exist, except in the minds of simple people that will just find another way to insult people.
 
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