Let's Rename Swine Flu As "Colbert Flu"

Bruce Perens writes "The World Health Organization will no longer refer to Virus A(H1N1) as 'Swine Flu,' citing ethnic reactions to 'swine,' for example among middle-eastern cultures who feel that swine are unclean. Or, is it because meat packers are concerned that people might stop eating pork in fear of the virus? WHO suggests that the public select a new name for the virus. I suggest that we all start calling it The Colbert Flu, after the comedian and fake pundit who asked his audience to stuff a NASA poll so that a Space Station module would be named after him. What can we do to make the name stick?"

Comments

Dear Bruce...

[fyngyrz]

Call it the Colbert flu? I don't think so. Colbert was just being funny, which is his job. It's why people watch him, and why they'll go so far as to stuff a poll. Plus, it was good publicity for the space station, led to an astronaut on his show, and even the naming of some widget or other after him. Treadmill? Whatever.

Anyway, Colbert is generally a positive influence. His "fake punditry" is pungent social comment, with the intent of nudging the his audience to think about these issues. While being funny, which keeps them coming back. All in all, a good thing. So I don't think naming a killer flu after him is appropriate. Entirely the wrong set of connotations, you see.

Flus are annoying, they show up wether you want them to or not, right in the middle of something else you were doing. Vaguely similar to your suggestion we name a nasty flu after a cool guy showing up on slashdot.

So in honor of your annoying and inappropriate post, I'm simply going to counter-suggest that we name H1N1 after you instead: The "Perens Flu." Does that seem fair to you?

Re:Dear Bruce...

[someone1234]

Well, Colbert IS annoying to some, including me.
We still don't see if this new virus is deadly or just hot air.
Perfect to name it Colbert.

Re:Dear Bruce...

[stewbacca]

Is a symptom of kdawson flu horrible writing?

The World Health Organization will no longer refer to Virus A(H1N1) as 'Swine Flu,' citing ethnic reactions to 'swine,' for example among middle-eastern cultures who feel that swine are unclean.

Who is Colbert?

[Anonymous Coward]

Who is Colbert? // not American // Swine Flu is worldwide.

Let's not

[decipher_saint]

Let's call it "H1N1" flu. You know, like, what it is actually called BY SCIENCE!

Re:Let's not

[eln]

I don't get why anyone would object to "swine flu".

Let me see if I understand the logic here: You think pigs are unclean, and therefore you object to naming a deadly virus that thrives in unclean environments after them. Wha?

I could understand objecting to it if it were called "Puppy and Kitty Cat Flu", or if we were trying to name a new translation of the Koran the "Swine Koran", but this is just ridiculous.

Re:Let's not

[dontmakemethink]

H1N1 is believed to have been initially spread from a rather unkempt pig farm in Mexico, hence the swine flu. However, it isn't the fault of the pigs that the place was so nasty, it was the farmers.

So a more appropriate name would be the Dirty Mexican Flu. However that would unduly prejudice all Mexicans, just like "swine flu" unduly prejudices pigs and the pork industry.

I got an idea, how's about we ask someone about to die from it what it should be called? Maybe they might give us some perspective about whether the name is worth arguing about.

Re:Reddit had it right

[SatanicPuppy]

+1 vote for Bacon Lung. That's awesome.

Here's an idea

[shma]

How about we stop giving stupid suggestions their own Slashdot articles?

Spanish flu came from the US

[SmallFurryCreature]

A book, you should read it.

So religions have the last word on disease naming?

[muuh-gnu]

> ethnic reactions to 'swine,' for example among middle-eastern cultures who feel

Actually, they do not "feel" this at all, it has been force-hammered into their heads from early childhood, when they minds could not defend themselves, because several hundreds of years ago, their self-appointed religious founders had no refrigerators (but forgot to leave a "or any later version" in their GPLs.. err... holy scriptures).

So basically a secular, neutral, international health organisationen now forces a disease renaming onto the whole planet because a few backwards theocracies, who happen to have stuck themselves into a religion without a feasible upgrade path (hehehehehe), threaten to let their people die en masse in order to avoid pronouncing the word "swine" loudly. (I'm writing this, but still cant grasp that they rally mean this seriously. Jeez.)

Re:+1 Vote for Mexican Flu

[penguin_dance]

Don't worry...it will end up being all our fault even if it DID start in Mexico....

Re:Colbert != comedian

[afabbro]

I am familiar with the memes, the subject matter, and the jokes that have come before, and 4/4 of them still aren't funny.

Well, in that case, the problem seems to be you. Have you considered that possibly you are just a humorless twit?

More likely, the memes you cherish just aren't that funny.

Oh look, another In Soviet Russia joke. More hot grits. Another set of Profit!!! steps. Hey, there's that same Beowulf cluster joke again.

You're right, the problem is that the humor is all too rich for us.