Remember the “Chinese virus” outrage – when President Trump accurately pointed out the virus’ country of origin? Well, the social justice warriors of the left-leaning establishment media are up in arms again. This time, they’re coming to the defense of the British, who are being unfairly pinned to a new strain of coronavirus with the racist, xenophobic terms “British strain” and “UK coronavirus” just because it seems to have originated … wait, no; that isn’t quite right. There is no collective outcry from the Fourth Estate and leftists on social media worldwide.
As a matter of fact, the very same news outlets who berated President Trump for reminding folks where COVID came from are the ones doing exactly that with the new “British strain.” Confused? That’s understandable, but there really is a simple answer: It’s only racist and xenophobic if the “victims” aren’t perceived to be white – and who could be whiter than the stereotypical Brit, as portrayed in the classics seen on BBC America or PBS Masterpiece Theater?
Trump the Racist?
For those who don’t pay the left much mind, it can be difficult to sort out what is and what isn’t racist, xenophobic, etc. The truth is no one can really keep up with it all, not without devoting far more time to identity politics than it’s worth. Still, here are a few tips that will come in handy when trying to figure out if something potentially negative is okay to say:
Is the target white? If so, fair game; otherwise, it’s racist (and xenophobic, if they’re non-western) and you have made the subject a victim, you racist (possibly xenophobic) swine.
What’s the target’s political alignment? Anyone perceived as right-wing is Literally Hitler. Screw them. Anyone perceived as part of the enlightened left – the Chinese communists, for example – are good, honest folk who deserve better.
Where does the Orange Devil stand on the issue? Regardless of the above two points, once Donald Trump takes a stance, it becomes as “ist” and “phobic” as possible. Just toss those isms and phobias at it – doesn’t really matter which ones, so long as “racist” and “xenophobic” are near the top.
Despite the long history of naming ailments either for who discovered them or whence they came – and the fact that the media initially used the phrases “Chinese virus” and Wuhan Coronavirus” throughout the early reporting – once President Trump started calling COVID the Chinese virus, it was a no-no.
As Liberty Nation’s own Brit, Mark Angelides, said of the media, “These happy vandals can espouse the same language one week and call it rotten the next.” He followed that up with examples. One Washington paper ran “Chinese coronavirus tally continues to grow” as a headline in February, then came back less than a month later with “Trump dubs COVID-19 ‘Chinese virus’ despite hate crime risks.”
They’re not alone; BBC, Reuters, and many others did the same. CNN was one of the worst. In January, the “Most Trusted Name in News” ran a story opening with “A new Chinese coronavirus, a cousin of the SARS virus, has infected hundreds since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December.” What’s more, the article itself refers to COVID as “Wuhan coronavirus” eight times. By March, CNN had jumped on the bandwagon of virtue signaling about Trump’s racism and xenophobia. Flash forward to June, and it’s “McEnany defends Trump using racist term to refer to coronavirus.”
No Love for the Brits?
Now a CNN headline reads “Researchers think 'hundreds' of people in US could have new UK coronavirus strain.” In the text, it’s the “UK strain,” the “UK coronavirus variant,” and the “UK variant.”
People calls it the “U.K. COVID Strain.” USA Today calls it the “UK strain.” The Guardian went with “UK Covid variant,” and Fox seems to have settled on “UK coronavirus strain.” The New York Times wanted to change it up, it seems, and has used both “the British variant virus” and “the more contagious British variant.”
Double Standard? Depends on Who You Ask
The Merriam-Webster definition of “double standard” is: “a set of principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to one group of people or circumstances than to another.” There’s an old saying that’s oft repeated in such times: “If it weren’t for double standards, the left wouldn’t have any standards at all.”
But, of course, they don’t see it that way. As far as they’re concerned, Brits are all privileged whites living in Downton Abbey and other such grand estates they’ve seen on PBS and the BBC. And British politics? Talk about nationalists – they don’t want to be part of the European Union’s club for globalists anymore! What a bunch of deplorables, sitting around sipping their tea while the world dies from their virus.
So can we expect a turnaround soon on the “British coronavirus”? Maybe – but Trump would have to say it an awful lot to override that white Brit privilege!
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