MSNBC host Chris Hayes and others came under heavy fire for their outrage over using the phrase “Wuhan virus” to refer to the novel coronavirus.
Hayes sparked immediate backlash after he called the label “astonishingly gross” and his MSNBC colleague David Gura said it was simply “racist.”
The initial reaction was to an announcement by Rep. Paul Gosar that he would self-quarantine amid concerns of possible exposure to the coronavirus at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month.
“I am announcing that I, along with 3 of my senior staff, are officially under self-quarantine after sustained contact at CPAC with a person who has since been hospitalized with the Wuhan Virus. My office will be closed for the week,” the Arizona Republican tweeted.
His use of the phrase “Wuhan Virus” set off Hayes:
Just astoundingly gross to call it the Wuhan Virus. https://t.co/cMrsA59xTH
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 9, 2020
Gura followed with a tweet of his own:
FYI: Calling #COVID19 the “Wuhan Virus” is racist.
— David Gura (@davidgura) March 9, 2020
These reactions were echoed by other liberals despite the fact that the coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China and the government essentially shut down the city of 11 million to contain the spread of the virus which has claimed over 4,000 lives worldwide.
CNN legal analyst Renato Mariotti claimed the use of the phrase was meant as a jab at China.
A GOP congressman is quarantining himself after sustained contact with a person with Covid-19 (Coronavirus), but he insists on calling it the “Wuhan Virus,” presumably to blame China for this pathogen. https://t.co/MhzVjDhFeC
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) March 9, 2020
Dear @DrPaulGosar: I will pray for you, your staff & the person hospitalized.
Also, calling #COVIDー19 the Wuhan Virus is an example of the myopia that allowed it to spread in the US. The virus is not constrained by country or race. Be just as stupid to call it the Milan Virus. https://t.co/of91p65mIO
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 9, 2020
But the “Wuhan virus” outrage set off reactionary backlash, with a quick fact-check showing that even China, in fact, refers to coronavirus as the “Wuhan virus.”
Is it also astoundingly gross when Chinese in Asia call it the Wuhan Virus? pic.twitter.com/oTsTl4ZFpN
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 9, 2020
Actor James Woods noted that the phrase is “EXACTLY” right and and tweeted that “emotional liberals hate facts.”
The LIBERAL media is pushing it. This virus is a Chinese virus. It originated in Wuhan, China. Emotional liberals hate facts. This disease should be called the #WuhanCoronavirus, because that’s EXACTLY what it is. Whether from a lab or a live animal market, that’s what it is. https://t.co/AiI2QUGtAK
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 9, 2020
For those liberals who blew their butt plugs over people calling the Corona virus that originated in Wuhan the (wait for it…) #WuhanCoronavirus, here’s a history refresher… #Numbskulls pic.twitter.com/BHD4ZDnuTI
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 10, 2020
“People have run out of legitimate stuff to be offended at,” pollster Frank Luntz tweeted.
Is this also applicable to West Nile Virus and the Spanish Flu?
People have run out of legitimate stuff to be offended at. https://t.co/f9ZVKAWi07
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) March 9, 2020
Real Clear Politics founder Tom Bevan also mocked Gura, asking “Does he work for The Onion?”
Does he work for The Onion? https://t.co/AqczwjK1c4
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) March 9, 2020
Other Twitter users also slammed the outrage.
I was not aware that “Wuhan” was a race. ?
— Aaron Lockhart ?? (@arabbitorduck) March 9, 2020
call it whatever you want, I guess. I think Coronavirus or COVID19 works fine.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 9, 2020
Fact is the virus originated in Wuhan.
They called the 1918=1919 flu the Spanish Flu.
Liberals are just looking for an opportunity to claim some kind of victimization 24 hours a day.
— ✠Hope Rising✠ #VivaCristoRey (@Boomingbox) March 9, 2020
What if the virus prefers to self-identify as Wuhan? Who are we to judge?
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 10, 2020
The more people say that calling it Wuhan virus is racist, the more I am temped to call it Ching Chong Plague just to piss you off. https://t.co/aGZdkkd1XO
— Carpe Donktum? (@CarpeDonktum) March 10, 2020
The World Health Organization officially labeled the novel coronavirus as COVID-19 in early February and, as Townhall senior writer Julio Rosas shared, the “racist” narrative was apparently non-existent before that.
Those in the media have been the ones calling it “the Wuhan virus/coronavirus” for weeks, so I guess they were being racist/bigoted this whole time. pic.twitter.com/ibogMw3rK0
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) March 9, 2020
“The narrative to completely divorce the city of Wuhan from the virus is also exactly what the authoritarian Chinese government wants,” Rosas wrote. “They want people to forgot the whole reason why the world is dealing with a global outbreak is because of their slow and botched attempts to contain the virus, despite warning from medical professionals on the ground at the beginning of the disease.”
Gosar, who appeared to originally set off Hayes, called out the “All In” host for suddenly being offended.
Just astoundingly ignorant to have all major media refer to it as #WuhanVirus for months but somehow, today, you’ve decided that’s #racist. If you think this virus cares about your race you probably work for or watch MSNBC. Wuhan Virus. Wuhan Virus. Wuhan Virus. https://t.co/xOLD9XE8BT
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) March 9, 2020
And social media users continued to slam the liberal virtue signaling on Twitter.
Yeah, what were we thinking? Let’s call a virus that originated in Wuhan, China, the #Norway virus. https://t.co/vsqfYP0wah
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) March 9, 2020
The virus that’ll kill us all is stupidity. https://t.co/PY8D5VovOg
— neontaster (@neontaster) March 9, 2020
Lyme disease is named after Lyme, CT.
Ebola is named after a river in Africa.
Zika virus is named for a place in Africa.
West Nile… guess. Guess about St Louis encephalitis virus too. Why is Wuhan virus racist other than Trump’s team used it and you hate Trump?— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) March 10, 2020
How in the world is a City a “race”?
Imagine that in the face of a pandemic that is killing people and destroying peoples savings etc., that these people want to virtue signal. This is a GREAT example of why 24/7 news is terrible for all of us. Turn off the “news”!
— Jim Czyzewicz (@zipowitz) March 9, 2020
The West Nile Virus wants a word.
— Carl Gustav (@CaptYonah) March 9, 2020
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