The rise in racism towards Asians By: Sydney Bilek
With the spread of COVID-19, it is common knowledge that the whole outbreak began in Wuhan, China. But some people are taking this information and using it as a way to be racist to Asian people across our country, from the president to citizens getting attacked by their peers. While this is all awful in itself, it is an awakening to the world.
What we need to keep in mind Before sharing what people have been saying across the country, it is important to note that just because a sickness was originated from a foreign country, does not mean we should send hate to the country or its people. Many people tend to believe this started with someone eating a bat in Wuhan. This is completely false. Coronavirus is the type of virus that spreads from animals to humans. It still did start in Wuhan, with a "wet market", meaning live and dead animals, birds, and fish were being sold together. It is hard to keep sanitary in these conditions, especially if there are live animals on sight and ones being butchered. The dead animals also had a dense amount of packaging, allowing bats to give them the disease, and then that got to humans. It is also important to know that no bats were ever eaten or sold there. Even if someone did eat a bat, we should not have shamed them, as the United States is much more fortunate than other countries on our planet. This lack of knowledge is probably a part of the outbreak with racist remarks.
I am going to continue, but one other thing needs to be made clear. An Asian person is not a walking virus. Any race can get the disease, they are not the ones at fault. We all are responsible to stop this, and if things were different this virus would be stopped. Race and sickness are separate things. Yes, it did start in China. But you should not go and blame all Asians from inside or outside China for this. None of this was ever intended to happen, and many around the world are trying to help stop this "pause" on our lives. No matter our race, we are all human in the end.
The government With the outbreak sweeping the United States, the government has been sending messages left and right, but they are turning racist.
To start: our president. Trump has publicly called the coronavirus the "Chinese virus". From his perspective, this is not racist, but that he is trying to be accurate, since that is where it came from. He said it is not about race, and that he loves Chinese-Americans. Going on about the way he refers to the virus, he states that the Chinese government officials started to say it was caused by American soldiers, and that he would not allow that to happen while president. Another comment was that he does not believe China inflicted this virus on the United States. All he wishes was they were told sooner. Despite these comments, officials and many others agree that the calling of the "Chinese virus" is racist and its wording can hurt and target groups of people, contradicting all claims of Trump. No matter how much denying that it is racist, the term is offensive no matter what. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo has been reported calling it the "Wuhan Virus" as well, so it is fair to say some officials are using these terms too.
Higher ups in China have all respond with negative comments, saying they wish the United States would not use such terms. They say it is "a despicable practice", but Tweets after Tweets are rolling out and no one is listening to the people these words are targeting. Another response came from CBS News White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang, who was born in China. Officials in the White House referred to it as the "Kung-Flu" in front of her face, making her wonder what they say in private. Even health organizations are coming out saying this is all unnecessary, but again, nothing has changed as of yet.
The citizens Asian-Americans across the country are in fear of their safety during this pandemic, not just because they could catch it, but that they will get beaten, spit on, yelled at, and more.
Reports of physical, verbal, and damage to personal property have arose, and Asian-Americans are turning to officials for help, but they are not receiving, as stated prior. Asians appearing in public now cause stares, people asking where they are from, and if they have the virus. Some people act uncomfortable when in a room with an Asian-American, thinking they will be the next to get it. Some have been told to go back to China or they will get shot, others get punched because of wearing doctor masks out in public. Many Asian-Americans actually are happy due to the lockdown in our country, as they do not feel safe going out anymore. The list goes on of the attacks and fears Asian-Americans are dealing with right now.
It has spread to the whole country by now, and many are staring to see Asian-Americans differently, as a threat, a walking virus, and more. People always seem to find a reason to blame or hate on a group for this or that. Many in the Asian-American community say they feel alone and hated. Many have also pointed out that if this started in a different country, for example, Italy, that no racist remarks would have ever started up, so that this is just what people need to have an "excuse" to be racist. By making these comments, we are worsening the problem, causing more fear for people who have nothing to do with this breakout. We should come together as a community, as a country, and as the world to support everyone. Putting differences aside is always important, but now we all have to fight a common enemy, so it is needed now more than ever.