4 ms·

You wouldn't call your local farmers market a 'wet' market because it isn't. Wet market is the standard English term for a market that sells live animals, typi

by ddeck 5y ago

You wouldn't call your local farmers market a 'wet' market because it isn't. Wet market is the standard English term for a market that sells live animals, typically seafood. They are full of tanks and water filled buckets and polystyrene boxes etc., thus the "wet" adjective. There are 2 less than a mile from my home and I've never heard anyone use a different name for them. You'll find this term used by the HK (i.e. China) government, so I fail to understand how you came to the conclusion that it's based on racial paranoia: "As at October 2019, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department ("FEHD") managed a total of 74 public markets, of which 35 were standalone wet markets and 39 contained both a wet market and cooked food centre." [1] In Cantonese, it's "濕貨街市", which is literally wet goods market/area. [1] https://www.legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/essentials-2021ise07-management-of-public-markets.htm https://www.legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/essen...

croes 5y ago
"Farmers' markets may be indoors or outdoors and typically consist of booths, tables or stands where farmers sell their produce, live animals and plants, and sometimes prepared foods and beverages. Farmers' markets exist in many countries worldwide and reflect the local culture and economy. " "A wet market (also called a public market or a traditional market) is a marketplace selling fresh meat, fish, produce, and other perishable goods as distinguished from "dry markets" that sell durable goods such as fabric and electronics." Sounds like a farmers market is a kind of wet market.
40four 5y ago
Fair enough. I don't think I made my point exactly how I wanted on second though. Let me clarify. The term in and of itself is not racist. But the way it was used in American media, and the negative connotations that were fed to us along with it, are very problematic. The term 'wet market' has never really been used in the American lexicon. The first time the majority of Americans heard it was in regards to the pandemic. And it was instantly being using in a derogatory way. The media and day to day talk was filled with negative and inaccurate depictions of what these places really are. They were said to be dirty, filthy places, where people are eating bats and all kinds of weird animals. And if only those Chinese people weren't being filthy and eating weird 'dirty' animals in their 'wet' markets, we wouldn't have this pandemic! I can't tell you how many times I heard this lane of thought early on last year. And how many people still believe this to be the case? Probably a lot. Meanwhile, these places are just normal markets, where many people go to buy fresh meat, seafood & produce. And they spray water on the floors to wash them off (this by the way is my understanding of where the term 'wet' comes from, it doesn't have to be a seafood market). This was what I was really trying to say, it's not the term 'wet' itself, but the way it was introduced to an audience who was not familiar with he term.

by ddeck 5y ago

croes 5y ago

"Farmers' markets may be indoors or outdoors and typically consist of booths, tables or stands where farmers sell their produce, live animals and plants, and sometimes prepared foods and beverages. Farmers' markets exist in many countries worldwide and reflect the local culture and economy. " "A wet market (also called a public market or a traditional market) is a marketplace selling fresh meat, fish, produce, and other perishable goods as distinguished from "dry markets" that sell durable goods such as fabric and electronics." Sounds like a farmers market is a kind of wet market.

40four 5y ago

Fair enough. I don't think I made my point exactly how I wanted on second though. Let me clarify. The term in and of itself is not racist. But the way it was used in American media, and the negative connotations that were fed to us along with it, are very problematic. The term 'wet market' has never really been used in the American lexicon. The first time the majority of Americans heard it was in regards to the pandemic. And it was instantly being using in a derogatory way. The media and day to day talk was filled with negative and inaccurate depictions of what these places really are. They were said to be dirty, filthy places, where people are eating bats and all kinds of weird animals. And if only those Chinese people weren't being filthy and eating weird 'dirty' animals in their 'wet' markets, we wouldn't have this pandemic! I can't tell you how many times I heard this lane of thought early on last year. And how many people still believe this to be the case? Probably a lot. Meanwhile, these places are just normal markets, where many people go to buy fresh meat, seafood & produce. And they spray water on the floors to wash them off (this by the way is my understanding of where the term 'wet' comes from, it doesn't have to be a seafood market). This was what I was really trying to say, it's not the term 'wet' itself, but the way it was introduced to an audience who was not familiar with he term.