Stop Saying We’re Fighting a War Against Coronavirus
INVISIBLE ENEMY
Research has shown that military metaphors can cause people to make decisions that go against sound medical advice.
Sometimes war involves battling other countries; other times, it’s the metaphorical kind, like our current “war” against the coronavirus.
We see this war reflected in the language that gets used by politicians, policymakers, journalists and healthcare workers.
As the “invisible enemy” rolled in, entire economies halted as populations “sheltered in place.” We were told to “hunker down” for the long battle ahead and to “support our troops,” the health care workers, fighting on the “front lines.”