Coronavirus and the Xenophobia it has Revealed
Even more rampant than the spread of the coronavirus disease is the rise of racist attacks and assaults against people who appear to be of East Asian descent. There has been an observed rise of xenophobia across the Western world throughout the last few years, a trend which is attributed to the influence of leaders such as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. Between hardline immigration policies, Executive Order 13769 which places restriction on travelers from a number of Muslim countries, increased numbers of ICE raids across the U.S., the illegal revocation of U.K. citizenships, and the recent shooting in El Paso which specifically targeted Mexicans, it is clear that xenophobia is at an all time high in the West. Amidst a severe refugee crisis, many EU countries continue to adopt anti-immigration, anti-refugee, anti-Muslim and anti-semitic agendas with an incidences of hate crimes and racist intolerance in countries such as Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, and the U.K. It is no surprise, then, that when a virus comes from China and sparks panic in the West, it has severe implications for people who appear East Asian within those communities.
CNN reported a man on a Los Angeles subway yelling at an Asian passenger that Chinese people are “filthy” and that "every disease has ever came from China." Sociology professor Rosalind Chou discusses the uptick of fear in people who are part of the Asian community; fear which is generated from the threat of physical, verbal, and financial attacks that they are victim to as a result of xenophobia exacerbated by hysteria surrounding coronavirus. A Thai-American named Jiraprapasuke recorded a verbal assault he received from a man who claimed “everything comes from China because they're f****** disgusting." There is a deep-rooted sentiment which implies that Chinese people bear diseases which traces back to the outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the coining of “yellow peril”, a derogatory slur which relates Asian’s skin color to that of someone who is sickly or jaundiced. Many members of the Asian community have noticed that althrough Sinophobia has always existed in society, it is now becoming more widespread with the spread of a new virus.
When the first incidences of coronavirus-related hate crimes became publicized, there was an outpour of support from the Asian community who told stories of physical and verbal harassment, including experiences of being turned away from hotels, and restaurants. While no one in New York has been diagnosed with coronavirus, restaurants and storefronts in Chinatown are also suffering from a 70-80% loss of business. The sharp increase of racist tirades, attacks, and even internalized xenophobia has led victims to create the global trending hashtag, #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus, meaning “I am not a virus” in French.
Many companies, businesses, and schools are also under-fire for their responses to coronavirus hysteria. UC Berkeley’s health services center listed xenophobia toward Asian people as a “normal reaction” to the virus outbreak, consequently normalizing anti-Chinese sentiment on their campuses. While of course its normal to feel nervous about contracting a virus, grouping these nerves with the entire Asian community legitimizes racism and xenophobia. The disease and the hysteria surrounding it has quickly unearthed the latent racism against the Asian community in the West, as well as racialized an issue which is a global public health crisis.
“Do not assume that if someone is of Asian descent, they have coronavirus,” says Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. It is the twentieth century, and we are still taking the time to remind people that diseases are related to medical symptoms rather than a person’s outward appearance. There is a line between cautiousness and unjust discrimination which must be addressed in order to avoid demonizing our peers. While it is natural to be panicked, this panic should not have its foundation in a fear of foreigners. Racist reactions and panicked immigration bans will only perpetuate the ever-present issue of racism, racial profiling, and discrimination in the Western world. It is important to be aware of the impact of misinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories, and hateful views in contributing to the mass hysteria of coronavirus. In the meantime, amidst this pandemic we should always remember to respect the safety and rights of the people around us- and to wash our hands.
