The virus scare as a mirror to ourselves and our society
HIV was associated with 'dark' Africa, Mers with Arabs, and now, the coronavirus is being linked with 'dirty' Asians. How we view diseases speaks volumes about how we see others.
I teach a Discourse Analysis course at my university. During a recent class, my students and I discussed popular perceptions of the coronavirus outbreak and the manner in which the public domain today is saturated with the language of fear.
The students read and referred to writings of cultural scholars such as Susan Sontag (Illness As Metaphor, 1978; Aids And Its Metaphors, 1989) as well as Frank Furedi (How Fear Works: The Culture Of Fear In The 21st Century, 2018).
Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM.
Enjoy unlimited access to ST's best work
- Exclusive stories and features on multiple devices
- In-depth analyses and opinion pieces
- ePaper and award-winning multimedia content
Read the latest on the Covid-19 situation in Singapore and beyond on our dedicated site here.
Get The Straits Times app and receive breaking news alerts and more. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now.