PC run amok--no more diseases named after animals or places

[greybeard]

World Health Organization has released guidelines for the future naming of new diseases. Names like German Measles, Legionaire's Disease, Swine flu, bird flu, or even names denoting where the disease began, like Ebola (first discovered in the Ebola River Basin)
are derogatory and cause financial, economic and human embarrassment to the people of those regions and to the people who raise those animals and I guess the primates are gwtting their wittle feelings hurt when they hear things like Monkey Flu. Nor can they be named after people, like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,or Chagas disease.
Some people need to chug on over to mamby pamy land get themselves a dose of self confidence....
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/not ... seases/en/

"In recent years, several new human infectious diseases have emerged. The use of names such as 'swine flu' and 'Middle East Respiratory Syndrome' has had unintended negative impacts by stigmatizing certain communities or economic sectors," says Dr Keiji Fukuda, Assistant Director-General for Health Security, WHO. "This may seem like a trivial issue to some, but disease names really do matter to the people who are directly affected. We've seen certain disease names provoke a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities, create unjustified barriers to travel, commerce and trade, and trigger needless slaughtering of food animals. This can have serious consequences for peoples' lives and livelihoods."

Diseases are often given common names by people outside of the scientific community. Once disease names are established in common usage through the Internet and social media, they are difficult to change, even if an inappropriate name is being used. Therefore, it is important that whoever first reports on a newly identified human disease uses an appropriate name that is scientifically sound and socially acceptable.
Terms that should be avoided in disease names include geographic locations (e.g. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Spanish Flu, Rift Valley fever), people's names (e.g. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chagas disease), species of animal or food (e.g. swine flu, bird flu, monkey pox), cultural, population, industry or occupational references (e.g. legionnaires), and terms that incite undue fear (e.g. unknown, fatal, epidemic).

Lord, please save us from our own stupidity.

 

[dun]

I never realized that chickens or turekeys had high enough self esteem that the term bird flu would leave them stigmatized

 

[bball]

The letters H,I, and V just filed a lawsuit, apparently they are sick and tired of being accused of 'inciting undue fear'.

 

[SmokinM]

Two words that should never be used together in a sentence- something can be either political or correct but it can't be both!

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

I gave a piglet an upper abdominal thrust the other day, I didn't want Dr Heimlich to get sued if it didn't work. :bang:

 

[bball]

Two words that should never be used together in a sentence- something can be either political or correct but it can't be both!

Yep!

 

[bball]

Time to post a memo to the inner city clientele that we serve: "AIDS may no longer be referred to as 'da ninja'. This is considered politically incorrect now. Your cooperation is appreciated."

 

[Nesikep]

Well, next on the list will be weeds and pests... Canada thistle, Colorado beetle...

Smokin M.. Very well said!

 

[HDRider]

Two words that should never be used together in a sentence- something can be either political or correct but it can't be both!

We have become the land of the oxymoronic.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Well, next on the list will be weeds and pests... Canada thistle, Colorado beetle...

Smokin M.. Very well said!

Guess we can't call them Jap beetles anymore.

 

[John SD]

I've heard Russian Olive trees are no longer PC and planting them has even been banned in certain locations. IMO, Russian Olive is the best all purpose tree out there and certainly my alltime favorite. At least a Russian Olive will survive and prosper where few other trees will.

 

[Rafter S]

Will the candy company be forced to re-name the Mars bar to avoid offending any possible extra-terrestrials of Martian heritage?

 

[John SD]

Will the candy company be forced to re-name the Mars bar to avoid offending any possible extra-terrestrials of Martian heritage?

And what about M&M's :?: Will the alphabet letters E and W sue for descrimination :?:

 

[Luca Brasi]

No one is less PC than I, but I actually think that this is not a bad idea. I'm tired of the ignorant public, encouraged by the sensational media, thinking that all birds, swine or whatever are going to give them the next deadly plague. Diseases are rapidly evolving, and the last thing we need is the next big headline grabbing virus which mutates from a horse, cattle or goat to be fodder for the ignorant masses to add to their misinformation stores. H2N1 or whatever just doesn't have the attention grabbing power of "BIRD FLU".

 

[greybeard]

H1N1 did.
(of course, a lot of people read it wrong and called it the hinni flu.

 

[Caustic Burno]

GB you just can't fix stupid.
Just look at the last 40 years of liberal PC correct environment.
They have fixed about everything beyond repair the medical profession, media, education
social order. In the last 40 years they have nearly destroyed thousands of years of natural and social
order. You can't be surprised that the have come up with this crap now.