Andrew Harmer By: Andrew Harmer
Senior Lecturer Global Health
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08 Apr 2020 : Winston Churchill and war metaphors

Ok, so I have no idea what to write. I've never written a diary and I'm already regretting knowing Owain and signing up to this. I'm not sure whether to make my diary entries public, mainly because I swear a lot when I write and I don't want to sound like a prick. I'm not saying I'm Hunter S Thompson or anything, but I also don't feel like being all-politesy. Mostly, I'm feeling really angry at the all-angles stupidity barage I feel under at the moment. Like the BBC's Radio 4 'This Morning' program banging on about Winston Churchill, and making the link between him and Boris Johnson because they were both in hospital and Churchill also did risky things. I DON'T CARE ABOUT WINSTON FUCKING CHURCHILL!!!!! Can I just repeat for the millionth time that WE ARE NOT AT WAR with COVID. It's not a war; there is no war; it's not our enemy; it is our problem; we have to deal with it; together; so let's focus on things that unite us; like clapping our health workers; because they are great and we love them; not because we want to 'kill' the coronavirus; or WIN! Win? We aren't going to win; we've lost. That's why we have a pandemic, for fuck sake!!!! So can the BBC please stop re-inforcing this stupid fucking chest-thumping, macho, war metaphor. Damn, I am so angry right now, and this diary entry isn't helping. Anyway, for a good analysis of framing and metaphors, see this piece (https://tinyurl.com/rtyq8dm) by Ella Saltmarsh and an accompanying guide on how to talk about COVID (https://tinyurl.com/vkvnnka). I need to lie down...

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