![]() ![]() ![]() Our study highlights the reductive way in which even well-meaning governments may be inclined to define vulnerability and identifies the harmful consequences that can follow from an overly narrow understanding of this notion. This article examines the complexities of political discourse on vulnerability by considering the case of the COVID-19 response in the Netherlands. While some expressions call for care, attention and action, others omit or conceal realities of precarity, minimising the moral and political responsibilities these entail. When it comes to vulnerability, the effects of the terms we choose to describe diverse forms and degrees of susceptibility to harm, loss and suffering can be especially damaging. The words we use to describe people, events and phenomena focus our attention on particular aspects, while drawing attention away from others. Words matter, especially in times of crisis. ![]()
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