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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-china-cause.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/opinion/sunday/coronaviru... > A second cultu

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-china-cause.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/opinion/sunday/coronaviru... > A second cultural factor behind the epidemic are 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.

vvram 7y ago
People having been practicing these for centuries, what has changed recently that it has become a global pandemic ?
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  Population densities, ease of travel long distances around the world.
- twomoretime 7y ago
  Now you have more than a billion people poaching rare animals to extinction because of superstition, in totally unsanitary wet markets that, frankly, have no place in a modern country. What changed are the numbers.
- typon 7y ago
  It's possible that these viruses jumped to humans all the time in the past and killed a particular village, town, city. Now we have global travel enabled by planes/cruises/cars. The spread is what's killing us with this latest pandemic.
- MikeAmelung 7y ago
  Clusters of villages being turned into major urban centers, connected by high-speed rail, further connected to the rest of the world by air?
- vikramkr 7y ago
  Nothing had to change. We've had plenty of pandemics before. Black death, 1918 flu, smallpox, cholera, and so on and so on and so on and so on. We're at an all time low in infectious disease deaths in human history - so if anything it's gotten way better thank to vaccines and public sanitation/health efforts.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
typon 7y ago
I think we are entering a stage of the world where particular regions can't have their own esoteric customs/traditions if you want to have a global economy and trade. Actions taken by people around the world affect everyone. Are we going to a future that's just normalized and beige?

vvram 7y ago

People having been practicing these for centuries, what has changed recently that it has become a global pandemic ?

seanmcdirmid 7y ago
Population densities, ease of travel long distances around the world.
twomoretime 7y ago
Now you have more than a billion people poaching rare animals to extinction because of superstition, in totally unsanitary wet markets that, frankly, have no place in a modern country. What changed are the numbers.
typon 7y ago
It's possible that these viruses jumped to humans all the time in the past and killed a particular village, town, city. Now we have global travel enabled by planes/cruises/cars. The spread is what's killing us with this latest pandemic.
MikeAmelung 7y ago
Clusters of villages being turned into major urban centers, connected by high-speed rail, further connected to the rest of the world by air?
vikramkr 7y ago
Nothing had to change. We've had plenty of pandemics before. Black death, 1918 flu, smallpox, cholera, and so on and so on and so on and so on. We're at an all time low in infectious disease deaths in human history - so if anything it's gotten way better thank to vaccines and public sanitation/health efforts.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

typon 7y ago

I think we are entering a stage of the world where particular regions can't have their own esoteric customs/traditions if you want to have a global economy and trade. Actions taken by people around the world affect everyone. Are we going to a future that's just normalized and beige?