Keywords
critical discourse analysis
elderly people
media
people with disabilities
Abstract
According to the World Health Organization, older people and people with preexisting medical conditions appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the COVID-19 virus (World Health Organization 2020). A few journalists (Arielle 2020, Held 2020) have pointed out that in light of the current COVID-19 crisis, vulnerable populations such as elderly people, people with disabilities, and people with preexisting medical conditions have been talked about as if they were “disposable” or “expendable”. Therefore, this study will attempt to examine how vulnerable populations are perceived by Polish public in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemy. In order to achieve that, I will analyze, by the means of critical discourse analysis, comment sections below online articles and editorials covering the topic of the COVID-19 virus on the popular Polish portal Gazeta.pl. In order to narrow down the scope of this study I will only focus on those articles and comments that were published in the week following March 4th 2020 when the first COVID-19 case in Poland was officially confirmed. I believe that this preliminary study will provide useful data for assessing public attitudes toward vulnerable people in times of crisis.
References
azalka12. 2020. Re: Dr Grzesiowski: Jeżeli koronawirus dotrze do małych miejscowości, to zachorują tam wszyscy [Comment]. March 5. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25760318,dr-grzesiowski-jezeli-koronawirus-dotrze-do-malych-miejscowosci.html).
Arielle, Zipporah. 2020. “Please Stop Treating Me Like I’m Disposable When You Talk About the Coronavirus.” HuffPost, March 13. Retrieved March 23, 2020 (https://tinyurl.com/rn6w7s3).
Beckett, Lois. 2020. “Older People Would Rather Die Than Let COVID-19 Harm US Economy – Texas Official.” The Guardian, March 24. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/24/older-people-would-rather-die-than-let-covid-19-lockdown-harm-us-economy-texas-official-dan-patrick).
Butler, Patrick and Peter Walker. 2020. “UK’s Emergency Coronavirus Bill ‘Will Put Vulnerable at Risk’.” The Guardian, March 23. Retrieved March 30, 2020
(https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/23/uks-emergency-coronavirus-bill-will-put-vulnerable-at-risk).
desnoran3. 2020. Re: Dr Grzesiowski: Jeżeli koronawirus dotrze do małych miejscowości, to zachorują tam wszyscy [Comment]. March 5. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25760318,dr-grzesiowski-jezeli-koronawirus-dotrze-do-malych-miejscowosci.html).
Gammeltoft, Tine M. 2014. Haunting Images. A Cultural Account of Selective Reproduction in Vietnam. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Held, Shai. 2020. “The Staggering, Heartless Cruelty Toward the Elderly.” The Atlantic, March 12. Retrieved March 23, 2020 (https://tinyurl.com/tzrcofy).
jagor. 2020. “Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy” [Coronavirus in Poland. Archbishop Gądecki appeals to parishes to increase the number of masses]. Gazeta.pl, March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-wpolsce-abp-gadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
James, Wendy R. 2000. “Placing the Unborn: On the Social Recognition of New Life.” Anthropology & Medicine 7 (2):169-189.
Johnstone, Fiona. 2020. “Chronicity and Crisis.” The Polyphony, March 6. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://thepolyphony.org/2020/03/06/chronicity-and-crisis/).
Jones, Sam. 2020. “Spanish Minister Says Older People Found ‘Dead and Abandoned’.” The Guardian, March 23. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/spain-distributes-650000-testing-kits-as-coronavirusdeaths-rise-steeply).
kalim13. 2020. Re: Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy [Comment]. March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci. gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-w-polsce-abpgadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
Klauziński, Sebastian. 2020. “Uderzyło w najsłabszych. Sześćdziesiąt osób z DPS w Niedabylu zakażonych koronawirusem” [It hit the most vulnerable ones. Sixty people from a nursing home in Niedabyl have contracted the coronavirus]. OKO.press, March 27. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://oko.press/uderzylo-w-najslabszych-szescdziesiat-osob-z-dps-w-niedabylu-zakazona-koronawirusem/).
Landsman, Gail Heidi. 2009. Reconstructing Motherhood and Disability in the Age of “Perfect” Babies. New York and London: Routledge.
lolek1. 2020. Re: Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy [Comment]. March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-w-polsce-abp-gadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
martha.wise. 2020. Re: Koronawirus. Nowe fakty ws. pacjenta z Raciborza. Przyjechał z Włoch ponad tydzień temu [Comment]. March 8. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25769146,koronawirus-nowe-fakty-ws-pacjenta-z-raciborza-przyjechal.htm).
marykownow. 2020. Re: Koronawirus. Nowe fakty ws. pacjenta z Raciborza. Przyjechał z Włoch ponad tydzień temu [Comment]. March 8. Retrieved March 26,
2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25769146,koronawirus-nowe-fakty-ws-pacjenta-z-raciborza-przyjechal.htm).
Merrick, Rob. 2020. “Coronavirus: NHS Doctors to Be Given Guidelines to Decide Which Victims Go on Ventilators.” Independent, March 20. Retrieved March 29, 2020 (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-boris-johnson-uk-doctor-victims-intensive-care-ventilator-italy-a9415356.html).
Minichiello, Victor, Jan Browne, and Hal Kendig. 2000. “Perceptions and Consequences of Ageism: Views of Older People.” Ageing and Society 20:253-278.
Nelson, Todd D. 2005. “Ageism: Prejudice Against Our Feared Future Self.” Journal of Social Issues, 61 (2):207-221.
Nicolaisen, Ida. 1995. “Persons and Nonpersons: Disability and Personhood Among the Punan Bah of Central Borneo.” Pp. 38-56 in Disability and Culture, edited by B. Ingstad and S. Reynolds Whyte. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Nussbaum, Jon F., Margaret J. Pitts, Frances N. Huber, Janice L. Raup Krieger, and Jennifer E. Ohs. 2005. “Ageism and Ageist Language Across the Life Span: Intimate Relationships and Non-intimate Interactions.” Journal of Social Issues, 61(2):287-305.
Perry, David M. 2018. “How Hospitals Mistreat Disabled Patients.” Pacific Standard, June 29. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-hospitals-mistreat-disabled-patients?fbclid=IwAR0HitnsyDz7nt6AjTnYEL2ADIfPwCQ5yukAabVmJ4_eMxSf-dQ2JOFshNc).
qurczak. 2020. Re: Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy [Comment]. March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-w-polsce-abpgadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
Reid-Cunningham, Allison Ruby. 2009. „Anthropological Theories of Disability.” Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 19:99-111.
Royal Commission. 2020. Statement of Concern: The Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic for People With Disability. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/system/files/2020-03/COVID-19%20Statement%20of%20concern.pdf).
rozterka47. 2020. Re: Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy [Comment]. March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-w-polsce-abpgadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
Ryan, Frances. 2020. “Coronavirus Hits Ill and Disabled People Hardest, so Why Is Society Writing Us Off?” The Guardian, March 11. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/11/coronavirus-ill-disabled-people).
soso_soso. 2020. Re: Koronawirus. Nowe fakty ws. pacjenta z Raciborza. Przyjechał z Włoch ponad tydzień temu [Comment]. March 8. Retrieved March 26, 2020
(https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25769146,koronawirus-nowe-fakty-ws-pacjenta-z-raciborza-przyjechal.htm).
Silverman, Amy. 2020. “People With Intellectual Disabilities May Be Denied Lifesaving Care Under These Plans as Coronavirus Spreads.” ProPublica, March 27. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://www.propublica.org/article/people-with-intellectual-disabilities-may-be-denied-lifesaving-care-under-these-plans-as-coronavirus-spreads).
Stieg, Cory. 2020. “How to Talk With Your Older Parents About the COVID-19 Pandemic—and Have Them Actually Listen.” CNBC, March 13. Retrieved March 30, 2020 (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/how-to-talk-to-older-adults-who-arent-taking-coronavirus-seriously.html).
Stramondo, Joseph. 2020. “COVID-19 Triage and Disability: What NOT To Do.” Bioethics.net, March 30. Retrieved March 31, 2020 (http://www.bioethics.net/2020/03/covid-19-triage-and-disability-what-not-to-do/?fbclid=IwAR0PrP6c3GiWe5UKAH7TP1yGF6b88F3UzhVHpOoksFkds40RhaDXXHlxOtg).
van Dijk, Teun A. 1995. “Aims of Critical Discourse Analysis.” Japanese Discourse 1:17-27.
World Health Organization. 2020. “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice For the Public.” Retrieved March 23, 2020 (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public).
zwierzoczlekoupior. 2020. Re: Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy [Comment]. March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-w-polsceabp-gadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
Zygfryd Mamut. 2020. Re: Koronawirus w Polsce. Abp Gądecki apeluje do parafii o zwiększenie liczby mszy [Comment]. March 10. Retrieved March 26, 2020 (https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,25776294,koronawirus-w-polsceabp-gadecki-apeluje-do-parafii-o-zwiekszenie.html).
License
Manuscript authors are responsible for obtaining copyright permissions for any copyrighted materials included within manuscripts. The authors must provide permission letters, when appropriate, to the Society Register Editors.
In addition, all published papers in Society Register are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported License.
1.1 The Author hereby warrants that he/she is the owner of all the copyright and other intellectual property rights in the Work and that, within the scope of the present Agreement, the paper does not infringe the legal rights of another person. The owner of the copyright work also warrants that he/she is the sole and original creator thereof and that is not bound by any legal constraints in regard to the use or sale of the work.
1.2. The Publisher warrants that is the owner of the PRESSto platform for open access journals, hereinafter referred to as the PRESSto Platform.
2. The Author grants the Publisher non-exclusive and free of charge license to unlimited use worldwide over an unspecified period of time in the following areas of exploitation:
2.1. production of multiple copies of the Work produced according to the specific application of a given technology, including printing, reproduction of graphics through mechanical or electrical means (reprography) and digital technology;
2.2. marketing authorisation, loan or lease of the original or copies thereof;
2.3. public performance, public performance in the broadcast, video screening, media enhancements as well as broadcasting and rebroadcasting, made available to the public in such a way that members of the public may access the Work from a place and at a time individually chosen by them;
2.4. inclusion of the Work into a collective work (i.e. with a number of contributions);
2.5. inclusion of the Work in the electronic version to be offered on an electronic platform, or any other conceivable introduction of the Work in its electronic version to the Internet;
2.6. dissemination of electronic versions of the Work in its electronic version online, in a collective work or independently;
2.7. making the Work in the electronic version available to the public in such a way that members of the public may access the Work from a place and at a time individually chosen by them, in particular by making it accessible via the Internet, Intranet, Extranet;
2.8. making the Work available according to appropriate license pattern CC BY-NC 4.0 as well as another language version of this license or any later version published by Creative Commons.
3. The Author grants the Publisher permission to reproduce a single copy (print or download) and royalty-free use and disposal of rights to compilations of the Work and these compilations.
4. The Author grants the Publisher permission to send metadata files related to the Work, including to commercial and non-commercial journal-indexing databases.
5. The Author represents that, on the basis of the license granted in the present Agreement, the Publisher is entitled and obliged to:
5.1. allow third parties to obtain further licenses (sublicenses) to the Work and to other materials, including derivatives thereof or compilations made, based on or including the Work, whereas the provisions of such sub-licenses will be the same as with the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Creative Commons sub-license or another language version of this license, or any later version of this license published by Creative Commons;
5.2. make the Work available to the public in such a way that members of the public may access the Work from a place and at a time individually chosen by them, without any technological constraints;
5.3. appropriately inform members of the public to whom the Work is to be made available about sublicenses in such a way as to ensure that all parties are properly informed (appropriate informing messages).
6. Because of the royalty-free provision of services of the Author (resulting from the scope of obligations stipulated in the present Agreement), the Author shall not be entitled to any author’s fee due and payable on the part of the Publisher (no fee or royalty is payable by the Publisher to the Author).
7.1. In the case of third party claims or actions for indemnity against the Publisher owing to any infractions related to any form of infringement of intellectual property rights protection, including copyright infringements, the Author is obliged to take all possible measures necessary to protect against these claims and, when as a result of legal action, the Publisher, or any third party licensed by the Publisher to use the Work, will have to abandon using the Work in its entirety or in part or, following a court ruling in a legal challenge, to pay damages to a third party, whatever the legal basis
7.2. The Author will immediately inform the Publisher about any damage claims related to intellectual property infringements, including the author’s proprietary rights pertaining to a copyrighted work, filed against the Author. of liability, the Author is obliged to redress the damage resulting from claims made by third party, including costs and expenditures incurred in the process.
7.3. To all matters not settled herein provisions of the Polish Civil Code and the Polish Copyright and Related Rights Act shall apply.