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.
You bring up some really good and insightful points in this piece. Your discussion is to the point but also highlights very big but central issues today. I really liked this piece.
This is very well written. The part about comparing the Spanish Flu to COVID was interesting to me. I didn’t know it originated in America or why it’s called the Spanish Flu. ALso, it’s a strong ending to talk about how the medical repercussions of COVID may be ending soon, but the cultural backlash that many Asians have experienced may sadly only just be beginning.
It was called the Spanish Flu because when the pandemic started in 1918, most countries were still fighting in WWI. Spain, being a neutral country in the conflict, reported it much earlier since the other were focused on reporting the war. Hence “Spanish Flu”.
I think that you brought up a topic that a lot of people have overlooked during this pandemic. While we will fight the virus it will be hard to fight the racial stigma that will live on.