Is Chinese CULTURE to blame for Coronavirus? or incompetent government officials and global institutes?

FIRST, let’s talk about the cultural causes of this epidemic.

As far as the current outbreak goes, two cultural factors help explain how the natural occurrence of a single virus infecting a single mammal could have cascaded into a global health crisis. And now for the controversial aspect of this argument: Both of those factors are quintessential, though not uniquely, Chinese.

The first is China’s long, long history of punishing the messenger.

A doctor who had flagged on social media the risk of a possible viral outbreak was among several people summoned by the police in Wuhan in early January and warned not to spread rumours. He died recently after being infected with COVID-19.

Similarly, the epidemic of SARS — which was caused by another coronavirus — that broke out in southern China in late 2002 was covered up by local authorities for more than a month, and the surgeon who first sounded the alarm was held in military detention for 45 days.

In 2008, a scandal erupted over tainted baby formula, after major Chinese producers were found to have added melamine to milk powder. (Six infants died; 54,000 had to be hospitalized). Four years later the whistle-blower credited with first exposing the problem was stabbed to death under mysterious circumstances.

These are recent examples, but that doesn’t mean they should be pinned solely on the Chinese Communist Party: The practice of punishing whoever brings embarrassing truths has been the order of the day since at least the time of Confucius, in the sixth century B.C.

Punishing people who speak the truth has been a standard practice of China’s ruling elite for more than two millenniums and is an established means of coercing stability. It is not an invention of modern China under the Communists — although the party, true to form, has perfected the practice. And now, muzzling the messenger has helped spread the deadly COVID-19, which has infected thousands of people.

A second cultural factor behind the epidemic is traditional Chinese beliefs about the powers of certain foods, which have encouraged some hazardous habits. There is, in particular, the aspect of Chinese eating culture known as “jinbu,” (進補) meaning, roughly, to fill the void. Some of its practices are folklorish or esoteric, but even among Chinese people who don’t follow them, the concept is pervasive.

It is better to cure a disease with food than medicine, so starts the holistic theory. Illnesses result when the body is depleted of blood and energy — though not the kind of blood and energy studied in biology and physics, but a mystic version.

Rare plants and animals from the wild are thought to bring the best replenishment, especially when eaten fresh or raw. Winter is said to be the season when the body needs more “jinbu” foods. (Could that help explain why both SARS and the current epidemic broke out during that time of year?)

Eating exotic wildlife has long been endorsed by scholars and elevated to mystical heights, including in the medical treatise “The Inner Bible of the Yellow Emperor”, written some 2,000 years ago and still revered by many health-conscious Chinese today. Beliefs surrounding the health benefits of certain wildlife foods permeate the culture.

True, these practices are not legion across China. Nor are they uniquely Chinese: Many peoples in many other countries eat exotic foods, too. But what is notable about China is that these beliefs about the special powers of some foods have been accepted, are now a given, even among people who do not put them into practice. They have become firmly embedded in the Chinese collective consciousness.

And so there are strong reasons to say that the current outbreak of COVID-19 has been aided by two fundamentally Chinese cultural practices. This may be discomfiting to hear; the notion might even strike some people as offensive. But it is necessary to investigate all the causes behind this deadly epidemic, whatever their nature — because if we don’t, we will only be inviting the next one.

Should we be blaming every Chinese person for this crisis?

It is crucial to mention here that people of China, right from the start and despite restraints have been trying to warn others of the dangers of a new mysterious infection. To the point that the local police — an honorary, if usually uninvited, a participant in every chat group in China — detected malfeasance and pounced, briefly detaining the people and even doctors on grounds of rumour-mongering.

Many Chinese people are furious at their government for not allowing and respecting the doctors warning and that people were ever chastised for telling the truth and that no state newspaper even reported the outbreak at its beginnings, while it might still have been stopped.

Let us also remember that this coronavirus surfaced just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday, a very much beloved traditional celebration for Chinese people and despite that many have turned their homes, farms and small businesses into factories to produce masks for their fellow species.

From the beginning, it was and still is evident that the government’s favourite way of ending this problem wasn't to solve it; but it’s to get the silent treatment and get the people to stop caring and talking about it.

So looking at this matter on a high level, I think it is fair to say that the people, nor the culture is to blame here but the government officials of this powerful country and their practices. To call those officials incompetent would be to redefine the concept of incompetence.

So can we, please, stop blaming the NATION or the CULTURE!

China aside, it is interesting how almost all governments everywhere are looking to lay and deflect blame on each other but the reality is that this incompetency is truly to be blamed on them and on the so-called global institute including WHO.

It is evident that when we are faced with global problems, we require global solutions to fix them and if the world cannot unite to address a global pandemics then the question comes that are we really globalising or deglobalising further and further apart? What happens when another global enemy threatens our species and how can we defeat them with this ununited mindset?

Regardless of how this plays out, in my opinion, the recent push for a review of the global response to this ongoing emergency by major governments is a sign that faith in [international institutions] is fading and strong players are trying to take matters into their own hands but also looking for entities to shift the blame of their own incompetence to!

I would love to hear your thoughts.

AUTHOR

Sepideh Moussavi is a Dubai-based Corporate Trainer/ Facilitator and a Global People & Culture Coach who is on a mission to connect people across diverse cultures for positive global impact. With over two decades of experience in the field of Training and Development, Sepideh helps her clients reach new heights, build meaningful and solid relationships and communicate effectively across different context; by bridging their cultural gaps, embracing diversity and fostering inclusion.

In addition, as a passionate advocate for human rights, Sepideh supports initiatives that enhance children and women's empowerment, development and advancement through education and training.

Sepideh's areas of expertise and interest are cross-cultural training, human social development and cultural diversity management, equity and inclusion.

For more details, inquiries and bookings, visit www.CultureOfImpact.com; or email sep@cultureofimpact.com.