Yesterday my husband and I had our first drawn-out argument. We seldom argue. I’d say we rarely argue. When we do, it’s about stuff like: does this bowl go in the top or bottom shelf of the dishwasher? One of us graciously yields; discussion over.
Not this time.
“Has Chinese government apologized?” I asked. “I mean, I know they haven’t, but shouldn’t they?”
“China never apologizes,” “ In that top-down and controlled society, apologizing seems that the leaders have made a mistake. That probably never happens,” he said.
“But they should. Look at the havoc they have wrecked on the world.”
“They didn’t do it. The virus did it. In the beginning, they did not know it will be so devastating. They probably thought this was just another flu.”
“How could they think that? Are they forgetting what happened with SARS?”
“So should Africa apologize for Ebola, Middle East for MERS?
“But Chinese government concealed it. The poor doctor who sounded the alarm, was silenced, berated, and fired. It took two months from when the virus was first discovered to when Chinese government finally announced its existence. By then, they and the world had lost precious time in containing it. Their cover-up is responsible for the spread.”
“China never discloses its weakness. That’s the authoritarian, strong man culture.”
“And that is where I draw the line. When their culture is responsible for people dying, we cannot give them a culture-pass. Speaking of which, it is their culture of wet-markets, which is at the heart of this. I was reading in the Wall Street Journal that it’s their belief that if one has to cure ailment of a particular organ or strengthen an organ, one must eat that organ of an animal, i.e. eat fresh monkey brain if you want to improve your memory; and the more raw it is, the better. Why don’t we look at the root-cause of this epidemic—the belief system that results in the practice of consuming near-raw meat? They probably don’t consume frozen or dried brain; it has to be straight off the live animal, which means wet markets where live animals are sold for meat; which breeds virus-infected animals.” I was running out of breath.
“That’s their culture. Perhaps it has been like centuries. You are asking them to change it after one outbreak of infection. It is unlikely that they will change the practice.”
“Maybe they can. How about if when all of this blows over, some reckoning takes place at an international level—like a de-briefing? Like for example the WHO proposing: ‘Let’s examine how we can prevent this from happening again. China: what say you?’ Or ‘Let establish some international rules on what to do when a virus is detected. What do nations suggest?’ I bet someone is bound to suggest preventive dietary measures (no wet markets, education of the masses on change of eating habits, etc), and more important, full disclosure when the virus strikes.”
“That should be done. I bet organizations like WHO are already working on that,” he said.
“We are a global village and have to be accountable to one another.”
“Well, I don’t know if China will agree with that premise. But yes, being that is a global phenomenon and viruses know no borders or political ideologies, this should be pursued.”
“And accountability starts with taking responsibility.”
P.S. March 20. Chinese police officials have now apologized to the doctor’s family; and Chinese officials are rescinding their condemnation of the doctor. But beyond that, not much more.
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