Month: February 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life difficult for millions of Americans. With over 500 thousands deaths, closed businesses, overcrowded hospitals and deep division among Americans regarding how to handle the virus, the pandemic has without a debt negatively affected the lives of millions of people. These issues outline how coronavirus has had repercussions beyond medical consequences and has effected different groups within the United States to varying degrees. The Asian American community has suffered drastically since the beginning of the pandemic. Increased amounts of violence have damaged the community and deterioated societal safety for Asian Americans.

The unfair blame towards Asian Americans has led to an increase in violence towards Asian Americans throughout the country. While hate incidents towards Asians have risen since the 9/11 attacks, the coronavirus provided a breeding ground for anti-Asian sentiment and hatred in the United States allowing for a dramatic rise in incidents since the beginning of the pandemic. While the numbers vary, several estimates mention over 2,800 reported incidents of anti-Asian sentiment since the beginning of the pandemic. Compared the 216 anti-Asian hate crimes reported in 2019, this significant rise outlines the issues that the pandemic has caused for Asian Americans.

Many shocking acts of violence towards innocent Asian Americans clearly demonstrate how the coronavirus has not only spawned hatred towards Asian Americans but also has made it seem okay to forcefully express their bigotry. On January 28th, a video caught a physical assault towards 84-year-old Thai immigrant Vicha Ratanapakdee in the San Francisco neighborhood of Anza Vista. The perpetrator visciously assaulted Ratanapakdee in broad daylight; Ratanapakdee was only minding his buisness and walking casually when a man runs into the frame and violently shoves him to ground. The police found him lying on the sidewalk; medics then took him to the hospital where he passed away due to the life-threatening injuries he sustained during the attack.

Other attacks towards Asian Americans have occured throughout the country. In Oakland’s Chinatown, Asian businessowners suffer due to a string of over 20 robberies in stores and nearby. Videos of the incidents, mainly against women and the eldery, capture the violent and unwaranted attacks in broad daylight. These incidents scare customers away from the already struggling businesses as many choose to shop outside of Chinatown in fear for their safety. They create add to an already unsafe environment for the elderly and Asian people in general. Many residents appear shocked to the unseen levels of brutality in their neighborhoods.

Another attack occured at a Brooklyn subway station on February 3rd. A confrontation with a stranger on the subway led to Filipino-American Noel Quintana getting sliced in the face with a box cutter. With a face full of blood and a scar stretching across his face, the other passengers stood in silence as Quintana bled profusely. He later received around 100 stitches after leaving the train and getting an ambulance ride to the hospital. While Quintana is currently in the healing process, he still fears for his life avoiding Central Park and unnecessarily leaving his home. Quintana is not the only victim of anti-Asian violence on the subway; two separate incidents of eldery Asian women getting punched on the subway occured in a Manhattan subway. These subway assaults resulted in the NYPD deploying 600 extra officers and increased patrols.

The rise in violence and discrimminatory acts towards Asian Americans leads to the question as to how to decrease and stop the violence. Naturally, increasing the amount of police in commmunities seems like a positive measure; increased police attention should reduce people getting assaulted in broad daylight. However, increased police surveillance does not attack the root of the violence. Deploying more officers in affected communities does nothing to combat the racist views of the perpretrators nor does it bring positive awareness. While the police may not solve this issue, other positive methods exist. For example, simply condemning intolerance and violence towards Asian Americans demonstrates that these acts do not belong in American society. Prominent leaders stepping up to condemn these incidents and using their platforms and networks to spread awareness will at least open people’s eyes to the injustices that occur. Another viable method would include educating people on the history of Asian Americans in the United States. Asian immigrants have come to America since the 19th century in the same way that German, Irish, Italian and other European immigrants have; many Asian Americans families have lived in America for several generations. Spreading knowledge on not just the hardships those immigrants faced but also the positive impact they have cemented will allow for a greater understand of their role as Americans. Finally, fostering stronger connections within not just the Asian American community but other minority racial groups (blacks and latinos) can bring about more unity between people of color. The term “Asian American” is a rather broad description considering immigrants from all over Asia come to the United States. Stronger connections between Indian Americans, Chinese Americas, Burmese Americans etc. could build a stronger Asian community better fit and united to combat the injustices committed against them.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising levels of violence towards Asian Americans have devasted the communities involved. These types of actions have no place in modern Americans society, yet newer incidents occur on a regular basis. While roughly 3000 discrimminatory incidents have been reported, one should consider the incidents that do not get reported. The violence causes Asian Americans to live in fear of violence in broad daylight, retribution for the coronavirus and the virus itself. However, the onslaught can produce positive resuls. Increasing the awareness of these incidents shows the American public the prevalance of racism but also the struggle that these people go through. It can also cultivate a stronger sense of community between different Asian groups creating a stronger force with Asian American society. Discrimmination, racism, and bigotry still permeate modern America; the American people need to take a stand in order to bring unity to a rapidly dividing country.

Works Cited:

Cabison, Rosalie. “What You Can Do About Anti-Asian Violence.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2021, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/asian-american-racism-violence-1127876/.

Grossman Kantor February 18, Wendy, and Wendy Grossman Kantor. “Filipino American Man Recounts Brutal Attack With Box Cutter on N.Y.C. Subway: ‘Nobody Helped’.” PEOPLE.com, Meredith Corporation, 18 Feb. 2021, people.com/crime/filipino-american-man-recounts-brutal-attack-with-box-cutter-on-n-y-c-subway-nobody-helped/.

Lim, Dion. “84-Year-Old Killed after Horrific Daytime Attack Caught on Video in San Francisco.” ABC7 San Francisco, KGO-TV, 1 Feb. 2021, abc7news.com/san-francisco-senior-attacked-sf-man-pushed-on-video-day-time-attack-caught-anza-vista-crime/10205928/.

Nakamura, David. “Attacks on Asian Americans during Pandemic Renew Criticism That U.S. Undercounts Hate Crimes.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Feb. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/asian-american-hate-crimes/2021/02/21/c28a8e04-72d9-11eb-b8a9-b9467510f0fe_story.html.

Nicole Johnson, Lauren Cook. “2 Asian Women Attacked in Separate Subway Incidents; NYPD, MTA Step up Patrols.” WPIX, Nexstar Inc., 16 Feb. 2021, www.pix11.com/news/local-news/2-asian-women-attacked-in-separate-subway-incidents-nypd-mta-step-up-patrols.

Venkatraman, Sakshi. “String of Attacks against Older Asians Leaves Big City Chinatowns on Edge.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 Feb. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/string-attacks-against-older-asians-leaves-big-city-chinatowns-edge-n1257157.

Venkatraman, Sakshi. “String of Attacks against Older Asians Leaves Big City Chinatowns on Edge.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 Feb. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/string-attacks-against-older-asians-leaves-big-city-chinatowns-edge-n1257157.

It goes without a doubt to say that the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected the lives of millions of people around the globe. A global catastrophe putting millions out of work, in the hospital, or in the morgue. It is easy to look at how COVID-19 has affected the economy, mental health, the job market, or education. However, many may overlook the impact of the pandemic on Asian Americans. Since the announcement of the first COVID-19 cases in China and its rapid spread around the globe, racism and discrimminated against Asian Americans has risen dramatically. A negative association exits with having an Asian ethnicity and the coronavirus. As COVID-19 continues to remain a dominant force in our world, it is important to explore the social backlash it causes rather than just the medical repercussions.

Bigots, misogynists, and racists alike use the origin of the coronavirus in China as an attacking point against Asian Americans. Terms such as “Chinese Virus” or “Kung Flu” give of the impression that the coronavirus originates from Chinese culture or people themselves. This leads conclusions that Chinese people willingly played a role in spreading the virus and causing a pandemic. These slurs create an atmosphere of hate and bigotry between Asian Americans and COVID-19. The use of these terms by former President Trump and other government officials only makes it appear more acceptable to use these terms when in reality they are offensive innuendos. Social media sites such as twitter, 4chan and several others reported increases in discrimminatory language and phrases against Asian Americans. If the Chinese people bear the responsiblity of COVID-19 and should receive backlash for it, by that logic the whole world should refer to the Spanish Flu as the “Amerivirus” or “Uncle Sam’s virus” since the virus actually originated in the United States and only has its name due to Spain being the only country who actually reported it due to their neutrality during WWI. But that makes little sense. People of Asian descendant have been subject to bigoted rhetoric wrongfully associating them with the virus. This leads to more negativity within the Asian American community but also a normalization of the use of racial slurs.

The prevalence of these terms negatively associating Asian Americans and COVID has led to large amounts of discrimmination against Asian communities in this country. While anti-Asian sentiment has existed in the United States since the first gold rush, the coronavirus provides racists a free excuse to project their bigoted views. These kinds of prejudice has had a negative impact on the Asian-American community in the United States. A survey conducted by the Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign discovered that, “out of 990 interveiws, 73% were angry and frustrated, 60% had feelings of disappointment, 46% expressed sadness or depression, 25% were concerned for their family, and 23% were scared” (Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign 16). These negative feelings and concerns result from the bigotry of blaming Chinese people for the virus. It has large effects on people who had nothing to do with the pandemic and contributes to their decline in mental health and rise in fear.

Discrimmination towards Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented itself in many forms. The same Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign study produced results saying that 43% of hate incidents occured from verbal harassment, shunning of Asian communities comprised of 26% of incidents, 21% of incidents were from online bulling, and people coughing at, spitting towards, or physically assaulting comprised of 10% of incidents. This data shows how a negative and false assocation with Asian Americans and the spread of COVID-19 can lead to hateful incidents and acts of marginalization against people with Asian heritage. Verbal abuse ranges from saying “Kung Flu” to outright blaming Chinese people for the pandemic and general hate speech towards Asains. Shunning includes blank stares or making faces in public, covering faces and turning away, and general ostracization of Asian-Americans. The use of online platforms and forums to spread hate and racial stereotypes creates an online atmosphere of Asian antagonism. Making statements about eating bats or dogs towards people of Asian descendant online generates more toxicity and creates a less friendly online environment. Finally, coughing and spitting at Asian Americans in public puts the lives of them and their families at risk. Deliberately spreading germs and pathogens leads to a greater rise in cases and ultimately more deaths. These acts of discrimmination create a dangerous environment for Asian Americans not just in public but also at home. If hateful acts can penetrate the walls of a household through the internet or people returning home after being deliberately targeted with germs, how can the Asian community feel safe during the pandemic at all?

Asian Americans has suffered immensely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only have many lost their loved ones, but they have been on the receiving end of several acts of discrimmination. They do not deserve the blame for the coronavirus disaster; however many point to those communities as a scapegoat. The spread of a new virus, racial prejudice against Asians, has spread through the repeated use of derogatory COVID-19 terms associated with Asian culture by prominent politicans; this normalizes these terms and makes it seem acceptable to judge and show bias towards Asian Americans. This in turn creates an unsafe environment in public and at home. If hate and bigotry can reach people even when they stay at home, no way to feel secure and accepted exists. The Asian American experience during the COVID-19 pandemic has been full of misogny and despair. The continued marginalization of the communtiy generates increased concern for safety and mental health decline. It shows the continued existence of hatred towards these groups and its influence on millions of Americans, including our leaders. Many groups have suffered during the pandemic, but they have received some of the worst treatment and discrimmination. The social impact of COVID-19 on Asian-Americans shows the deep routes of xenophobia and bigotry in the United States. The pre-coronavirus world does not exist anymore and while the biological threat of the virus may dwindle with vaccines, the hatred and racism may not go away anytime soon.

Works Cited:

Craig Timberg, Allyson Chiu. “As the Coronavirus Spreads, so Does Online Racism Targeting Asians, New Research Shows.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 9 Apr. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/08/coronavirus-spreads-so-does-online-racism-targeting-asians-new-research-shows/.

Dela Cruz, Megan, et al. Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign, Https://Stopaapihate.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/2020/09/Stop-AAPI-Hate-Youth-Campaign-Report-9-17.Pdf, 2020.

Frias, Lauren. “Trump Has a Penchant for Calling the Coronavirus the ‘Chinese Virus’ or ‘Kung Flu.’ Experts on Asian Culture Said the Racist Implications of the Term Divert Attention from the Disastrous US Response.” Insider, Insider, 13 July 2020, www.insider.com/experts-trump-racist-names-for-coronavirus-distract-from-us-response-2020-7.

Mizutani, Dane. “’We Don’t Feel Safe’: Asian Americans Navigate Racism amid COVID-19 Crisis.” Twin Cities, MediaNews Group Inc., 29 Mar. 2020, www.twincities.com/2020/03/28/we-dont-feel-safe-asian-americans-navigate-racism-amid-covid-19-crisis/.

Wang, Claire. “’You Have Chinese Virus!’: 1 in 4 Asian American Youths Experience Racist Bullying, Report Says.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 18 Dec. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/25-percent-asian-american-youths-racist-bullying-n1240380.