Author: Samson Huynh
The COVID-19 pandemic has had destructive consequences on the lives of many in the US, due in part to the wave of misinformation that has been left in its wake. Unfortunately, much of this misinformation has provided impetus for a surge of racism and xenophobia, particularly against East Asian communities in the United States. This bigotry likely stems from the fact that the virus outbreak is known to have originated in Wuhan, China, along with the stereotypes already associating East Asian backgrounds with outlandish and sometimes unsafe cuisine. Furthermore, despite inconclusive details, early on in the outbreak rumors were able to circulate claiming that the virus had come as a result of people eating bats. These combined factors have led to Chinese Americans and any East Asian resembling them to be associated with and blamed for the outbreak.
This association has only been strengthened by the media and the words of governing officials. In the past, President Donald Trump has gone on record referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” or even the “Kung flu” in some instances. Along with similar quotes from other officials, such as Senator John Cornyn, these statements have spurred anti-Chinese sentiments in a time of heightened anxiety and fear. This normalized discrimination has led to more frequent instances of open racial attacks against East Asians or those perceived to be East Asian. Exhibiting symptoms that are associated with the illness are enough to get a victim targeted. Coughs, sneezes, and even the act of wearing a mask have been used as justification to assault people in the open with shouts of “go back to your country” or even physical aggressions.
Whether these assaults are drawn out verbal confrontations, injury-inducing attacks, or relatively minor microaggressions, hate crimes of any type will inevitably lead to widespread fear causing many to live in a constant state of fear and stress. For example, on April 19th, Chinese-Taiwanese Jilian Liao was retrieving groceries when she had her personal space violated by an aged man in a Yankee cap who crossed a road and told her “Next time, don’t bring your diseases back from your country,”. Though she was not physically injured, since the incident she has gone out of her way to make several grocery runs out of fear that she will one day be caught carrying too many bags to defend herself. Other victims have resorted to walking great distances to avoid being trapped in enclosed spaces or even covering parts of their appearance that would give them away as Asian. Regardless of the coping mechanism, the driving fear and stress only contributes to the allostatic load of the East Asian community thus raising the probability of chronic illness among members.
Though not a new issue, scapegoating a racial group as the source of a virus is detrimental not only to the target but to the society as a whole. First of all, when a racial group becomes associated with a disease, members that do become infected may be afraid to come forward and seek treatment due to concern that doing so would justify further attacks. As can be imagined, by avoiding testing or those infected not only skew numerical data but also become prone to spreading the disease further. Furthermore, this spread is likely to partially occur within the carriers own racial community further exacerbating the issue. Even baring consequences for the targeted race, scapegoating distracts from any attempts to solve the problem at hand. Phrases such as “China virus” combined with the spread of racially charged misinformation results in confusion and panic for the general public and delays the implementation of programs that have helped reduce cases in other countries.
In this time of crisis it often seems as though the world is on a downhill spiral. Nevertheless, there are many actions that can be taken to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19. For starters, there should be constant reminders for our elected officials, healthcare workers, and fellow citizens that deflecting blame onto an ethnic group will only worsen and prolong the outbreak. Secondly, it is imperative for us to become attentive to recognizing actions as racist and calling them out as such when we are witnesses. While this may be uncomfortable if you are not used to it, confronting someone for racial assault will help the victim feel safer and in some cases may even save their life. Lastly, something we can all do is to help monitor social media. By fact checking claims and isolating hate speech and misinformation, we can help eliminate confusion and quicken COVID-19 recovery.
Bibliography
Gee, Gilbert C., et al. “Seven Reasons to Care About Racism and COVID-19 and Seven Things to Do to Stop It.” American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, July 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7287554/.
Balvaneda, Bryan, et al. “Responding to Anti-Asian Racism During the COVID-19 Outbreak.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/responding-anti-asian-racism-during-covid-19.
Kambhampaty, Anna Purna, and Haruka Sakaguchi. “Asian Americans Share Experiences of Racism During COVID-19.” Time, Time, 25 June 2020, time.com/5858649/racism-coronavirus/.
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