by Charlotte Smith
BladenOnline has received some complaints about one of our writers referring to the Covid 19 Pandemic as the “Xi Jinpingfluenza”. One reader emailed in about the writer and stated, “The author of the article refers to the COVID-19 pandemic multiple times as the ‘xi jinping fluenza.’ I find that reference very offensive, racist, inappropriate, and completely irresponsible. Especially given the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in this country over the past year.”
I understand our reader’s concerns. However, BladenOnline believes firmly in upholding our North Carolina and the United States Constitutional rights. At the same time, our team does not agree with everything published on BladenOnline; we reserve the rights of our citizens by publishing information.
According to USCourt.gov, American citizens have the right to use certain offensive words and phrases to convey political messages, such as shown in the court case Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971).
Also, citizens have the right to engage in symbolic speech, (e.g., burning the flag in protest). This type of issue was ruled on in the case Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989); United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990).
Our writer, H. Blake Proctor is a decorated United States War Veteran and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy. His dissertation was “Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to the Implementation of Total Quality Management in Local Governments.”
At times, Proctor uses words in his writings to have his readers think about things differently. He does not tell anyone how to think.
This week Proctor sent me an email explaining why he refers to the Covid-19 Pandemic as the Xi Jinpingfluenza. He said, “Xi Jinping is the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party – the CCP.” He noted his belief in the CCP pushing the “natural-spread-from-a-host-animal” theory.
Researchers working on finding the origination of the Covid-19 Pandemic have stated, “We must take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers seriously until we have sufficient data. A proper investigation should be transparent, objective, data-driven, inclusive of broad expertise, subject to independent oversight, and responsibly managed to minimize the impact of conflicts of interest. Public health agencies and research laboratories alike need to open their records to the public.”
BladenOnline staff members witnessed firsthand how the First Amendment right is being trampled on, and how some government officials use terms like racism to divide the citizens and close doors to the media. Therefore, while we may not agree with calling the Covid-19 Pandemic the Xi Jinpingfluenza, we support Proctors’ First Amendment right that he and so many others fought for by publishing his writings on BladenOnline.
In today’s culture, we often misunderstand each other and are not allowed to have opposing ideas explained so all parties may understand each side. We do not have to agree, but every citizen deserves the right to voice their concerns.
We welcome anyone to write open letters, email us or call us about any concerns they may have about the works published on BladenOnline.com. Last but most importantly, we appreciate and support our freedoms, our team members, our readers, and the country we live in, which promotes unity in the face of dissimilarities.
Related article:
https://bladencounty.org/county-commissioners-meet-for-a-packed-agenda/
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