Ever since the beginning of the entry of Coronavirus, several attacks along with murders have been committed against Asian communities in America. Although it may seem as if this violence may have died down a bit, as of recent there has been a large surge in assaults against Asian Americans. Although it's is unclear whether or not these attacks are racially motivated or not, it would not be completely out of the picture to assume so. Similar to the wave of racist rhetoric and hostility towards Asian-Americans that occurred when coronavirus started to spread in America, these hate crimes seem to be spiraling out of control. For example, there have been multiple accounts of assaults and even killings of Asian-Americans, just within the past week.
Statistics show that ever since last March, there have been nearly 3,000 accounts of hate crimes towards Asians across 47 states and the District of Columbia. These crimes have sparked fear in many of those belonging to this community. Due to this many restaurants and facilities have started closing earlier in attempts to protect not only their customers but also their employees. Manju Kulkarni, who is the executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council states that, "Oftentimes, perpetrators have used the exact language of the prior president, words like 'Wuhan virus, kung flu, China virus, China plague,'". It is speculated that with President Trump sparked tons of hate towards the Asian American community through his words and policies that dealt with the community.
However, on a brighter note, the initiative "Stop AAPI Hate" has been regularly receiving information on discriminatory incidents towards the Asian-American community. Specifically, they have received more than 2,800 incidents of racism that target Asian-American individuals between March 19th & December 31st. Even though physical assaults made up around 8.7% of these incidents, the assistance that this organization has provided through tracking these assaults has helped to keep the public informed. On top of this initiative, many have been turning to social media apps to inform others on this terrible increase in violence. Do you think that these attacks are racially motivated or are there other motives? And do you think that there will be an end to this violence soon or is the end of this hostility unpredictable?
5 comments:
As you mentioned, since the start of the Coronavirus, the Asian stereotype and treatment has continued to worsen. Trump’s portrayal of the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” definitely didn’t help the situation.
Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been over “2,500 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents related to COVID-19 between March and September 2020” (It’s now nearly 3,000 cases from March 2020 to the end of 2020 throughout the US). However, most cases remain unreported, and this statistic understates the underlying issues of racism that remain in the United States. In our very own community, there have been numerous xenophobic violence right before the Lunar New Year, especially targeted at the elderly. One interesting thing said was that mask-wearing has made it easier for the perpetrator to simply slip away and not be identified.
At a federal level, President Biden has signed several executive orders that focus on racial-equity. In particular, the “Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States” relates most directly to this instance of xenophobic violence. While this is a great first step towards combating this issue of racial-equity, concrete, swift action is needed to introduce actual change.
https://www.npr.org/2021/02/12/966940217/anger-and-fear-as-asian-american-seniors-targeted-in-bay-area-attacks
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/study-shows-rise-of-hate-crimes-violence-against-asian-americans-in-nyc-during-covid/2883215/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/26/memorandum-condemning-and-combating-racism-xenophobia-and-intolerance-against-asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-in-the-united-states/
Like both Nate and Howard mentioned, I think Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric surrounding Covid was a means to means to not take accountability for his administration’s (very poor) handling of the pandemic by directing a vast amount of undue and false blame on Asian Americans, displaying a complete lack of integrity in trying to villainize a group for one’s own misdeeds. Treating Asian-Americans as a threat is not only unjust, but it also fosters ignorance about the true factors that have perpetuated the pandemic and distracts from what needs to be done to actually be safe. There is clearly a lot of insecurity and instability surrounding the pandemic, but Asian-Americans are NOT the cause of that instability, and if anything, targeting them only creates more and is unproductive in ensuring the health and safety of any of our citizens. Thus, in light of the recent rally in SF in support of the Asian-American community, I think it’s important to raise awareness about the injustices they face in order to protect everyone in our community.
It's very sad to see such a high surge of attacks against Asian Americans in America. What's frustrating is that it just doesn't make any sort of sense to bring about this kind of violence towards Asian Americans. Although I can kind of understand where they're coming from as China is widely responsible for covid-19 through their censorship of media and lack of effective action and policies in the beginning, but it's not like the Asian Americans living in the U.S. are responsible for the actions of China. Attacking and especially killing these innocent people are completely unproportional responses for something they simply didn't cause. Additionally, with all the stigma surrounding Asians already, Trump's comments definitely didn't help. Many of his followers will take his word to heart and I'm sure that his comments have sparked more violence towards Asian Americans.
It is frustrating to see Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric carry weight to this day. As people are increasingly stressed out during the pandemic, it is easy for them to scapegoat others and channel their frustrations into hate. With remarks such as “Chinese virus,” Trump had given them a scapegoat, and it worries me to see it endure. The fact that the pandemic is still ongoing does not help stop people from attributing blame to Asian Americans. It is unlikely that the hate crimes will end soon unless people raise awareness about the violence inflicted on Asian Americans. The “Stop AAPI Hate” initiative that Nate mentioned is definitely a step in the right direction.
I do not think it would be completely ridiculous to link the surge in attacks against Asian Americans to covid. Trump, who has often used names like "Chinese virus, Kung Flu, Wuhan virus, etc" has promoted this narrative that the Chinese are solely to blame for the outbreak, and while their could have been more action taken by their government in the beginning, it is not fair to blame it on China. Other nations, even our own, looked past covid in its early stages and the blame game does not solve a pandemic. I think one interesting thing to note is that while these attacks have been happening throughout the pandemic, it is only of recently that I have seen it gain as much media attention as it has now. Whether people are finally realizing that racism towards Asian Americans is a serious issue that has been often overlooked, or they just want to act like they care, I am glad that at least people are talking about it and realizing the effects of their actions. Even calling covid a name relating to China in any way can be taken as offensive and it is unneeded. Overall, I am glad to see groups and others raise awareness on this topic and I hope these attacks stop.
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