‘Underlying health condition’ has become the phrase to use for people with diabetes, asthma etc re CoronaVirus. Google Trends shows a whopping spike in use. But how safe is this language? Under=down, bad. Lying=deceitful, static. Overall, it sounds like ‘underling’.

/cont...

This plays into the metaphor of social status as height. We talk about e.g. tech gods, titans of industry, movie stars high in the sky. On the ground, we have bitches, apes, vipers. Beneath ground are parasites, vermin, vegetables. Low life. 'Untermensch'.

We see some of these values being reflected in media reporting. All deaths are tragic, but some are more tragic than others. Young people, famous people, rich people die or are affected - that's really bad. People with 'underlying health conditions' die - no matter.

We need to be mindful of how words and imagery can lead attitudes. I carried out a study a couple of years ago on the case of Alfie Evans which showed simply inserting the word ‘vegetative’ led to a doubling in the number of people who thought his life support should be removed.

I wrote about all this in my book You Are Not Human, largely in the context of Hitler’s Aktion T4 euthanasia programme which killed 100,000 disabled German citizens between 1939 and 1941 for conditions including dementia, epilepsy and schizophrenia. It’s never felt more relevant.