It Could Be Called "The Bat Virus": Pros and Cons

The way Trump is doubling down on calling the Covid19 virus "The China Virus" is non-productive and provocative. The virus already had been given a name by the scientific community that served its purpose well.

Journalist Richard Engel comments:

.@RichardEngel: "This is a virus that came from the territory of China but came from bats. This is a bat virus, not a China virus. It doesn't speak Chinese. It doesn't target Chinese people. It targets human beings who happen to touch their eyes, nose or mouth." pic.twitter.com/ljQeT7UQam

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 18, 2020

I agree! Call it "The Bat Virus" if you want evocative imagery (Sorry Batman).

 
BREAKING - 2021 UPDATE!!

Bats dwelling in limestone caves in northern Laos were found to carry coronaviruses that share a key feature with SARS-CoV-2, moving scientists closer to pinpointing the cause of Covid-19 https://t.co/UJDT5OouPS

— Tom Lasseter (@TomLasseter) September 19, 2021

 

Trump has enough bats in his belfry to afford giving them a little blame.

But even yet, I'd hate to stigmatize our innocent flying mammal friends. After all, they wouldn't have spread the virus except they were being eaten. On the other hand, cows haven't suffered all too much from having their name used in the "Mad Cow Disease".

Incidentally, a recent advert on my social media feed hawked National Park commemorative coins. What coin did they use for a sample? A 2020 American Samoa Nation Park coin featuring a mother bat and her pup (yes baby bats are called pups).

Displaying this ad is for reference only. I do not endorse the advertiser nor recommend their services.

So, no matter what animal is officially the symbol for 2020, it might go down in history as the Year of the Bat [Virus]"

All of this being said. Here is a embedded tweet link to an article that makes an important point. China's Ruling Party is culpable for their disastrous handling of the outbreak:

My new piece in @TheAtlantic is out today:

The Chinese regime *is* to blame, and we shouldn't be coy about saying so. To say that this is racism is absurd. A regime is not a racehttps://t.co/7F0R6pa8tp

— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) March 19, 2020