• Drusas@kbin.run
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    5 months ago

    They made this big to-do just a couple of years ago about renaming monkeypox because they didn’t want to offend men who have sex with men, and now here we are with some fungal infection still being called “ringworm”.

    There’s no worm! No parasite of any kind. Really ridiculous name. Also, it can be caused by a number of different fungi, so it’s not even really all the same infection.

    • jeffw@lemmy.worldOPM
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      5 months ago

      I believe mpox was, sadly, renamed because racists and their use of “monkey”. I think that was more the issue over men who have sex with men. “Ringworm” isn’t a slur though lol

        • Drusas@kbin.run
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          5 months ago

          It’s not a slur; it’s just stigmatizing. “I’ve got a skin infection” will get a lot less of a negative reaction than “I’ve got ringworm” would. Parasites give people the heebie jeebies.

      • Drusas@kbin.run
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        5 months ago

        That hadn’t occurred to me. I assumed it was relating gay men to monkeys that was the problem. You’re probably right, though.