Racism and COVID-19

Hello, friends!

In 2019, in the city Wuhan, China, the first case of the novel coronavirus that is now a global pandemic was reported. Since then, not only has the virus spread all over the world, but the CDC and the WHO have also officially named it COVID-19 and have asked that everyone refer to it as such.

Why does the name matter? The name matters because since the spread of COVID-19 started in the US, violence against Asian Americans has gone up across the country and a big reason for that is because Asian Americans are being (unfairly and inaccurately) blamed for the spread of the virus. When people refer to it as the "Wuhan virus," the "China virus," or the "Chinese virus," instead of COVID-19, it creates space for blame to be spread to Asian Americans.

The logic, conscious or subconscious, goes like this:
- When something has your name on it, that means it's yours (like how if someone said they were going to the Leong house, it would be reasonable to assume that the things in the house belong to me and I am responsible for them).
- The thing is called the Wuhan (or China, or Chinese) virus
- Therefore, the Chinese must own it
- Therefore, the Chinese are the reason that everyone is getting sick and I can't go outside
- Therefore, the Chinese are my enemies
- Therefore, when I see someone who looks Chinese (read: Asian), I must treat them as my enemy

Many news outlets have documented violence against Asian Americans. We have a Burmese friend whose cousin was beaten in the Bay Area a few days back. The threat of violence is real.

I've heard a number of arguments defending the use of Wuhan/China/Chinese virus. They include:
- Well, it DID start there, so we're just being accurate.
- The Chinese ARE responsible, so calling it something else lets them off the hook.
- We call other diseases by where they come from, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with doing this again.

These arguments are bogus on their face (message me if you'd like to hear why) but the time spent to refute them would take up too much space. I'm trying a different approach:

- Using the term Wuhan/China/Chinese virus increases the risk of violence against Asian Americans
- My children are Asian American
- By continuing to use that term, you are increasing the risk of violence against my children
- If you choose to do something that increases the risk of violence against my children, you are no friend of mine

One more thought. If you're calling it Wuhan/China/Chinese virus to stick it to the Chinese government, guess what. THEY DON'T CARE! Facebook isn't allowed in China, so they aren't seeing your snarky and self-satisfying posts. Your protest isn't even falling on deaf ears, it's completely useless. All you're doing is increasing the chance of my kids getting hurt and that cannot stand.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam