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Opinion | Coronavirus: how language of disease produces anti-Asian racism, hate and violence
- North America has a long history of inflammatory language connecting disease with race, with Chinese consistently accused of being carriers
- Underlying prejudice against Asian communities has been a staple feature of its society since the first Chinese workers arrived in the mid-19th century
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Self-isolation. Quarantine. Lockdown. The outbreak of Covid-19 and its subsequent dissemination across the globe has left a shock wave of disbelief and confusion in many countries.
Accompanying this wave has been a spike in racist terms, memes and news articles targeting Asian communities in North America. Asian-Americans report being spit on, yelled at, even threatened in the streets. There has been a recent stabbing in Montreal and increased violent targeting of Asian businesses. Asian Americans reported over 650 racist attacks last week according to the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. These incidents demonstrate rising racism against Asian communities in North America.
History tells us this is not the first time that fear of disease has led to outbreaks of anti-Asian racism. Underlying prejudice against Asian communities has been a staple feature of North American society since the first Chinese workers arrived in the mid-19th century.
Looking back at these outbreaks of discrimination is a sobering lesson of the consequences of racial labels for disease.
Increased racist rhetoric by politicians, like US President Donald Trump’s erroneous use of the term “China Virus” for Covid-19, is often the first step to racialised violence. Trump recently agreed to stop using the racist label, acknowledging in series of tweets: “It is very important that we totally protect our Asian-American community in the United States … the spreading of the Virus … is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form.”
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