• Trump sued for $22 million for calling COVID ‘China Virus’ and ‘Wuhan Virus.’ Blamed for anti-Asian violence.

Do the instigators of the lawsuit think that, just possibly, the anti-Asian violence, however morally wrong it is, was incited not by anything Trump or anyone else said, but by the fact that friends and relatives are actually dying of that virus?

1918: Spanish flu. 1957: Asian flu. 1968: Hong Kong flu. 1977; Russian flu. 2009: Swine flu. In all these pandemics, people felt free to describe the disease in whatever words seemed appropriate, whether or not they were scientifically precise.

So what is different now? Why are people reluctant to say where the current pandemic originated? Why are people reluctant to say so many things? The essence of free speech is not that it be objectively correct, or linguistically elegant, or popular, or anything at all except FREE.

Respectable commentators are saying not only that the pandemic originated in Wuhan, which we already knew, but also that it escaped from the biolab there – accidentally or intentionally, we do not know. Since this is so, how can using the terms “China virus” or “Wuhan virus” be defamatory? Defamatory to whom? All Chinese anywhere in the world?

Perhaps that is the difference between the current pandemic and past ones. The so-called “anti-racists” are in fact racists. They are teaching us to think of ourselves and others not as individuals, or even as citizens of countries, but as members of racial groups.

The Asian flu of 1957 killed 116,000 Americans and between 1 and 4 million worldwide. But everyone knew not to blame all Asians. The idea would have seemed ridiculous. But now, using the terms “China virus” or “Wuhan virus” is thought to impugn all ethnic Chinese people, or all residents of Wuhan. Nonsense!

We think in words. The more we inhibit free speech, the more we inhibit free thought. Perhaps that is the real aim of so-called “progressives”: control speech, then control thought. People who are afraid to speak freely are just afraid – and easily ruled. So speak up, while it is still permitted.

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