The Other Pandemic: How Xenophobia is Putting Asians at Risk
Jabin Botsford from the Washington Post captured an image of the word ‘corona’ crossed out with a black marker and replaced with ‘Chinese’ to read “Chinese virus” in the president’s notes.
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Sopheaneat “Sophie” Pol, a Chinese Cambodian student attending The King’s College in New York City, felt the atmosphere around her change when the virus started spreading in the United States in March.
Even before fear and quarantines emerged around the nation, she noticed that people would intentionally step away from her, openly stare and even avoid standing in the same aisle at Target.
“One time a guy got off the subway car just because I was in there with him,” Pol recounted. “He was standing close to my friend, but the moment he saw me, he switched cars. I watched him enter the next car.”
For the first time since moving to America, Pol said, “People look at me like I’m a criminal.”
Racial tensions are part of America’s history and experience as a melting pot. This time, they are exacerbated by the Coronavirus that is sweeping through the U.S. and the world. The Coronavirus emerged originally from Wuhan, China, according to early news and government reports. As a result, Asians are suffering in the court of perceptions and public relations.
President Trump called COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” in a press conference on March 19. Debates instantly arose whether using the term was racist or simply factual, and Americans were polarized on yet another issue. With a trade war underway with China for more than two years and as pre-existing racial animosity by many Americans toward Asians living in the U.S. increased, the word ‘xenophobia’ made its way into the average American’s lexicon.
Licensed psychologist Dr. Lisa Feil in Wellsboro, Pa. believes attaching a country’s name to the virus is inappropriate. While she acknowledged that some viruses are historically named after the supposed place of origin, she also highlighted the unevidenced, race-based fear that arises as a result.
Ebola, for instance, was named after a river in Congo and resulted in a backlash against people of African descent. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) put a target on the back of an entire culture. The 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic originated from pigs in a small region in central Mexico and was called “Mexican Swine Flu” by many. History is already repeating itself with the coronavirus deemed as the “Chinese virus.”
“Unfortunately, when something bad happens, there’s this sense of needing to pull together as an identified group and identifying a common foe. It’s related to fear: people are very afraid of anything that they don’t understand, and historically, people are afraid of anyone who is different,” Feil explained.
This wave of xenophobia swept over the U.S. quickly and profoundly. Dr. Feil believes this is because the virus spread so quickly and “the shutting down of society amped everybody up.” Not only is their health in danger but their financial livelihood and personal freedoms as well.
People of Asian descent, whether or not they be Chinese, are too often subjected to racially-motivated attacks. They range from verbal slurs, to people walking in wide circles around them, to full-on physical attacks.
“…he later publicly apologized. But similar to Trump’s “Chinese virus,” the damage is already done. Apologies cannot reverse its normalizing of marketing or politicizing racially insensitive satire and terms.”
Trevor Fleming, an artist at Lululemon, designed a shirt titled, “Bat Fried Rice.” The white long-sleeve t-shirt featuring a Chinese take-out box with bat wings retailed for $60. The artist was promptly fired. Lululemon apologized on his behalf, and he later publicly apologized. But similar to Trump’s “Chinese virus,” the damage is already done. Apologies cannot reverse its normalizing of marketing or politicizing racially insensitive satire and terms.
As of April 2019, 61 percent of Asians say they have been subject to racial slurs or jokes, and 76 percent say they have faced discrimination or unfair treatment according to the Pew Research Center. Note that this survey was taken before COVID-19 intensified racial tensions.
Jabin Botsford from the Washington Post captured an image of the word ‘corona’ crossed out with a black marker and replaced with ‘Chinese’ to read “Chinese virus” in the president’s notes.
Alice Yu Campbell has experienced racially insensitive behaviors in different forms throughout her life as a Chinese woman born and raised in the U.S.
“From elementary school with kids calling me ‘chink chong dong, go back to China,’ to the past year where a man in Times Square told me to ‘go the f*** back to wherever you came from,’” Campbell said.
These offensive instances are not always so extreme. As many Asian Americans can relate, “some happen in much subtler, seemingly innocuous ways” that “make an assumption that I’m not truly American because of the color of my skin,” Campbell said.
Her husband of nearly 16 years, Dr. Ethan Campbell, a professor of English and literature at The King’s College, shares strong resentment toward the amplified racism in society. He takes a stand against it not only for the sake of his wife but for his two young, biracial children as well.
“A lot of my angry responses to racism against Chinese Americans are driven by knowing this is something my kids will have to face,” Dr. Campbell said.
In one instance on Twitter, Dr. Campbell got into a back-and-forth with Eric Metaxas, a New York Times #1 bestselling author who holds an honorary title at The King’s College:
Metaxas tweeted, “During this difficult time in our country’s history, please pitch in by refraining from using the following incendiary terms: ‘Greek Life,’ ‘Spanish Omelette,’ ‘French Cuffs,’ ‘Dutch Oven,’ and ‘Brazilian’ anything. Thank you.”
Dr. Campbell replied, “A lot of funny jokes on this thread at the expense of Chinese Americans who are worried about the backlash from Trump’s racist language. Normally, I might let it go, but some are my family members. Eric, remember your calling. Stop using your platform to make light of racism.”
In another thread, Dr. Campbell tweeted, “There is already a widely accepted name for this outbreak: coronavirus. If you are calling it the ‘Chinese virus,’ you are using a racist term that has real-world consequences for Asian Americans. And you should stop.”
Experts such as Dr. Feil suggest that Asians seem to go undetected by the racism radar. They are not frequently identified as a subject of racism because their experiences are often considered inferior to the experiences of African Americans and Hispanics.
As a rising junior in college, Pol believes it is important for Asians to feel represented in their communities and institutions. She sees a lack of conversation about Asian heritage and culture, and in turn, a missed opportunity to bring awareness to these issues.
What is the best response to racism?
“The best response to it is solidarity,” Dr. Campbell states. “Most people will oppose injustice, I think, if they can see it and recognize it as evil. The challenge is getting everyone to see it, even if they haven’t experienced it personally.”