As China tangles with the on-going outbreak of the dreaded coronavirus, humanity shows itself for what it really is. During this dire time, over 14,000 people have been confirmed to carry the virus and it has claimed over 200 lives. Not only has it wreaked havoc on China, but the virus has managed to spread across seas.
To better understand the situation, first we have to ask, “What is the coronavirus?”
The one we are dealing with is part of the coronavirus family, which causes respiratory issues. It can live within the affected person without symptoms for up to two weeks. The main symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, and fever.
As the number of those infected increases in this public health emergency, there is also an astonishing increase in racist sentiments toward the Chinese, especially the residents of Wuhan.
There was a petition for an Australian newspaper, the Herald Sun, to apologize for publishing an article headlined with “Chinese Virus.” Similarly, Le Courier Picard, a French newspaper, headlined an article with “Yellow Alert.”
Both newspapers have received backlash from the public.
Xenophobia permeates social media, for example, #ChineseDon’tComeToJapan trended on Twitter. Leave it up to people on social media, like Twitter and Facebook, to plague the platform with insensitive memes.
It can be understood that humor is a way to cope, however, how important is it for you to “make light” of a situation when Asian people are currently facing discrimination, illness, and death?
In many countries like South Korea and the U.K., there have been reports of “No Chinese Allowed” signs posted in front of businesses.
In response to the outbreak, UC Berkeley’s Instagram (@bewellcal) published a post attempting to reassure their audience that their feelings of anxiety and helplessness are normal. This was followed up by, “Xenophobia: fears about interacting with those who might be from Asia and guilt about these feelings.” Imagine being reassured that your inner racism is a normal response.
Several Asian people state feeling uncomfortable with people quickly shuffling away from them in public and giving them unwelcoming glares.
What if it had been the United States where the virus originated? The world would be turning away from us, pulling out the most applicable stereotypes, using outliers as their “evidence” to prove that we must all be “diseased.” You could be completely healthy, yet God forbid you clear your throat on the bus.
The world’s attitude toward this catastrophe has not been appropriate, especially when people’s lives are on the line. We can’t pretend to care about human life, yet turn our heads the other way and make jokes about a situation like this.
There are thousands of people grieving the loss of their fallen loved ones, whose lives have been cut too short by a virus they probably didn’t know about a year ago.
We can hope that we never face something like this ever again, but who says we won’t? The only thing we can control is our response to the situation and the level of compassion that we offer to those who have been affected.
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