by Lee Arneson
“Remember, when you go out, be careful. People are starting to harass Asians in the streets, in the grocery store, wherever, because of the virus.”
“I know Dad, I will.”
This is an exchange my father and I had in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is a newly discovered strain of coronavirus that emerged in December of 2019, in China’s Wuhan province. The virus has quickly swept across the world, putting us in a global health crisis. Amidst the panic over lack of medical resources and general knowledge of the virus, those of Chinese descent—and more broadly, those of East Asian descent—have been targets of discrimination and violence brought on by ignorant viewpoints surrounding COVID-19.
“Rampant ignorance and misinformation about the novel coronavirus, experts say, has led to racist and xenophobic attacks against fellow Americans or anyone in the US who looks East Asian,” said Holly Yan, Natasha Chen, and Dushyant Naresh in Feb. 21 article “What’s spreading faster than coronavirus in the US? Racist assaults and ignorant attacks against Asians” for CNN.
Despite the fact of COVID-19 being a global crisis, in the U.S. we’ve seen a rise in racially motivated attacks specifically towards Asian Americans. There have been reports of Asian Americans being beaten in the streets, spit at, and yelled at, all because people suspect them of being Chinese. In an April 7 PBS article, author Matt Loffman shares the story of Jeff Yang, who recalled a racist encounter he had in a Los Angeles grocery store.
“She pulled down her mask, coughed theatrically in my direction, pulled up her mask, walked away, got into a car and drove away,” Yang recalls. “I was too shocked to do anything.”
Although these reports and attacks may feel far away from our own communities, they are very much happening at local levels across the United States. A member of the Pacific Northwest community, Linda Nguyen, shared an incident that happened to her just this previous week at work. “Yesterday, a coworker made a comment. She—she’s white—she said, ‘oh, you know the Chinese did this. You must’ve lost a lot of work and jobs. Do you feel ashamed?’ I was shocked. I am Asian, but I am not Chinese, and I’m not gonna blame anybody,” Nguyen said.
During an April 5 interview, fellow Greener Abie shared her thoughts, saying, “Hate crimes against Asians as a reaction to all that is happening as a result of COVID-19 is a foolish way to handle one’s own behavior. Rather than misplace blame, it would be a better use of time and energy to focus attention on how to better ourselves, how to pour into others in the ways that we can to the best of our abilities.” To reflect the sentiments Abie shared, instead of letting panic consume us, now is a time to be kind to one another and show compassion for our fellow human beings.
It is terminology like “Chinese virus,” which has been used by the president of the United States as well as other prominent figures in the U.S., that perpetuates ignorance and misinformation. The term “Chinese virus” is in and of itself a hateful term because it lays the blame entirely on China when that is not the case. In a CNN article published on March 19, titled “Trump again defends use of the term ‘Chinese virus,’” authors Maegan Vazquez and Betsy Klein state, “After consulting with medical experts, and receiving guidance from the World Health Organization, CNN has determined that that name [‘Chinese virus’] is both inaccurate and is considered stigmatizing.”
Linda Nguyen also expressed their views on the term “Chinese virus,” saying, “Just because it comes from China [they] shouldn’t be blamed for it. Why do we have to have a reason for COVID-19? It happened to the Chinese [too]—shit happens.”
This ethnic profiling and the violence that has come as a result is horrifyingly reminiscent of what Asian Americans and Asians living in America experienced in the 1940s in relation to World War II. Just as is happening now, back in the 1940s those of East Asian appearance were being targeted as a result of hateful propaganda against an ethnic group. It was the Japanese then, it’s the Chinese now. Will those of East Asian descent in the U.S. feel forced to wear buttons reading “I am not Chinese” instead of “I am not Japanese,” just to avoid being attacked in the streets? Is America doomed to repeat history?
COVID-19 and the death toll that has followed in its wake is nothing short of a tragedy that is being felt at a global level. It is understandable that people feel panicked and scared in such uncertain times, but allowing that panic to manifest into ignorance and racism will only ever do harm and it will not help nor heal anybody. To quote Malcolm X, “I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.” Now is the time for humanity to step up and help one another, regardless of race or ethnicity. Now is the time to love and support one another. No father, no parent, should have to fear for their child going to the grocery store.
