27/08/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
Dr. Ümit Kartoğlu: Racist, discriminatory, and stigmatizing language can be as harmful as the virus itself.
In his article for T24, Prof. Dr. Ümit Kartoğlu drew attention to the danger of racist, discriminatory, stigmatizing and homophobic discourses that flared up with Mpox. Reminding that during the 2022 mpox outbreak, both World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) criticised racist and homophobic posts targeting Africans and LGBTI+ persons, Kartoğlu wrote as follows:
“Stigmatization often arises from misinformation or incomplete knowledge about a situation. Without accurate information, people may make assumptions that lead to unfair treatment of others. This happens because stigmatization offers a simplified narrative for complex situations. For example, saying ‘a mysterious new virus emerged in China and spread worldwide, so China is responsible for it’ creates an easily understandable explanation. As a result, blaming a group or individual for a problem becomes more straightforward and seemingly acceptable than addressing complex and multifaceted issues, such as public health crises. You may recall the racist, discriminatory, and stigmatizing attitudes that surfaced during the HIV epidemic toward people who are HIV positive or disproportionately affected by HIV, such as individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups, the LGBTI+ community, or people from countries where HIV is prevalent.”
Dr. Kartoğlu also stated that political figures exploit stigmatization and continued as follows:
“Meanwhile, we also know that political figures often exploit and encourage stigmatization, not just to divert attention from other problems, but to rally their base or consolidate power by creating a common enemy. For instance, what other reason could there be for Zafer Party Chairperson Ümit Özdağ to describe Prof. Hüsnü Süslü’s discriminatory, stigmatizing, and racist discourse as ‘perfect’ and support it? Another political example of discriminatory and stigmatizing discourse is Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene’s claim that mpox infections in children during the 2022 mpox outbreak in the USA were ‘caused by child sexual abuse.’ Greene’s underlying political interest in this false claim was an attempt to reinforce her narrative that those who oppose anti-LGBT+ legislation (such as the recent ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law settlement in Florida) ‘support child abusers.’
Those who support stigmatization often believe that the targeted group should be blamed or punished for perceived wrongs. This belief stems from a sense of moral superiority they see in themselves, which, in their minds, justifies their support for stigmatization. Moral superiority further turns stigmatization into a form of revenge.”
Tags: human rights, health
