Keith Champagne: I don't really have horse in this race but unfair is unfair

To The Daily Sun,

I would like to respond to a Daily Sun letter from Lindsay Bowen and others about their concern of the use of the term “China virus” at the recent school board meeting being racist. (Respectfully of course.)

I want to point out that for something to be considered racist there has to be a prejudice or denigration of a person, or group of people, based on their inclusion in an ethnic group. The way the term “China virus” is used in reference to Covid-19 is to specify a PLACE (the country of China) that the virus originated, and/or it is being used as a criticism of the Chinese government as to their role in allowing the virus to spread unchecked while they were buying up the worlds supplies of PPE. Because it is being used in reference to a place and or criticism of a government it is definitely NOT being used to denigrate the Chinese people who also are suffering from their own governments deplorable actions!

The term China virus is really no different then the phrase “China made goods” or “chinese electronics”, neither of which denigrate the Chinese people but simply refer to a location.

I don’t have a horse in the race, I could care less what people call Covid as the only thing that really matters is it is being used to control and destroy our lives and I prefer to focus on that! But I think it is Important for both sides of the political spectrum to remember we all live together and should probably avoid accusing each other of being really bad people (I.E. racists and nazis) when the person is not speaking about a person or group of people, and instead are referring to a place or government. I feel like the term “racist” and others are being thrown around in blanket form anytime someone disagrees politically and it is very unfair, and can be very devastating to be labeled that unfairly.

Keith Champagne

Meredith