Infectious diseases expert Jeremy Farrar has himself been at the center of the debate over the mysterious origins of COVID, which first broke out in China in late 2019.
It was never the theory that was racist, it was the amount of evidence behind it.
If “there’s a virology lab there” was all the evidence you needed to assert it was a lab leak, chances are it’s because you’re racist. That’s why early on, this theory was most popular with far-right reactionaries.
Meanwhile, what’s been the origin story of every similar virus? Animal trade. That’s why early on, this theory was most popular with actual scientists who were actually qualified to have an opinion.
It was never the theory that was racist, it was the amount of evidence behind it.
If “there’s a virology lab there” was all the evidence you needed to assert it was a lab leak, chances are it’s because you’re racist. That’s why early on, this theory was most popular with far-right reactionaries.
Meanwhile, what’s been the origin story of every similar virus? Animal trade. That’s why early on, this theory was most popular with actual scientists who were actually qualified to have an opinion.