As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, and we go deeper into our self-isolation in social distancing, so does the growing fear of this disease and the discrimination that it fosters. I know you’re scared. Scared for your loved ones and for your own safety, I am too. But trust me, there is no good in panicking and getting all caught up in the mass hysteria. As long as you continue to follow what is advised by the experts: self-isolating by staying home, keeping good hygiene practices, avoiding large gatherings and other protective measures, you can protect yourself and prevent the spread of this disease. Before you come to any final and disturbing far-right conclusions, I advise you to please educate yourself first. Listen to the experts, read trusted sources, and remain calm.
It’s so easy nowadays to react emotionally and carelessly without a second thought. I get it, we’re only humans, so easy to give in to our fears and to turn these fears into feelings of hatred and prejudice. Yes, Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, mainland China and has now globally affected 213 countries and territories (and still fluctuating). Yes, the death-toll is in the thousands worldwide, but if you carefully dissect the data, the mortality rate of this virus is “about or a bit less than 1%,” according to The Guardian. This is why many countries have shut down to slow down the spread and contain the virus. I reside in Toronto where our premier, Doug Ford, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, March 17th ordering the closure of bars, restaurants, theatres and banning public events with over 50 people in response to this pandemic. Again, the intention is to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and avoid overwhelming the health-care system. We are still in the early days of this crazy time so let’s be patient and wait for more information to be gathered. On a positive note, a large study in China found that about 80% of its confirmed cases had fairly mild symptoms (defined as no significant infection in the lungs). This eases me a bit. Learn the facts Deaths from Covid-19 are most common in the elderly, and those with serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease or diabetes. In comparison, fatality is very low among younger people, although medical staff who treat patients in the frontlines and get exposed to a lot of virus are thought to be more at risk. But even among the over-80s, 90% will recover (The Guardian). I’m telling you all of this to reassure you that there is no reason to panic. Of course you can’t completely shake off this fear, but don’t let it consume and cloud you from making any bad decisions. By bad decisions, I mean, allowing your fear to point fingers at who did what or who’s at ‘fault’ and discriminate. Public health emergencies like these are stressful for everyone in the community. Don’t be another reason for this struggling time. I’ve seen the fear and anxiety of this disease lead to the social stigma of Asian people and their culture. I’ve read the news; it manifests in the plummeting sales at Chinese restaurants, near-deserted Chinatown districts and reports of racist bullying against people perceived to be Chinese. This is a problem rooted in all adults and adolescents that unfortunately carries down as an example for younger children. For instance, high schoolers in California’s San Fernando Valley physically assaulted a 16-year-old boy and accused him of carrying the coronavirus. In the very early days of the pandemic in the U.K. specifically in Sheffield, a postgraduate student was reportedly verbally and physically harassed in the street for wearing a face mask to protect herself and others, while in Leicestershire two students – mistakenly thought to be Chinese – were pelted with eggs on the street in Market Harborough. In this graphic video posted by the Twitter user @ItsCeliaAu that has gone viral shows a train commuter shouting and cursing at an Asian passenger who was standing close to him and even going as far as spraying him with air freshener. This happened early in March in Brooklyn. It’s a terrible incident, and I can go on and on about similar cases. Since this outbreak, reports worldwide have been on the rise about racist acts directed at people of Chinese and other Asian descent. These are prosecutable hate crimes and are punishable by law. The psychology of pandemics Why do people default to hate, label and stereotype when scared, you ask? Well because it’s not anything new; we’ve seen the same xenephobic behaviours occur throughout history during disease outbreaks in North America. In the early 1900s, African Americans were unethically studied in the infamous Tuskegee experiments over a 40 year period. It was dubbed as the “Black” disease as Syphilis was rampant in these poor Black communities. More recently, the SARS outbreak in 2003 sparked the same wave of racism and xenophobia towards people from China. This too was billed as the “Chinese disease”. And let’s not forget the Ebola crisis in 2014 that infected public discourse with its xenophobia of people from the African continent. The parasite-stress theory These common reactions are a “deep-seated, evolutionarily influenced tendency in humans,” says Dr. David J. Ley of Psychology Today. He mentions the “parasite-stress theory,” the recent body of work illustrated by two researchers Corey Fincher and Randy Thornhill that explains how fear of outsiders is an evolutionary protection. In their research, the two define xenophobia not merely as fear or hatred of people who are different than us, but as: “Xenophobia—the avoidance of and antagonism toward out-groups—is an adaptation or evolved solution to the problem of being maladapted to the infectious diseases parasitizing out-groups,” (p334). Their study suggests that xenophobia was one way or another in which groups of humans tried to stay safe in a scary and dangerous world. “Xenophobia, based on parasite stress and fear of infectious disease, rests on some basic biological principles: namely, that people who look more like me are more likely to have a similar immune system as I do. Their biology is expected to be somewhat similar to mine when it comes to their exposure to disease. And so, if they look generally healthy, they are likely not to be carrying something that would get me sick. But someone who looks different than me may have a very different immune system than I do, and thus they may expose my family or me to diseases which my body and immune system are unprepared for.” Obviously this doesn’t say that xenophobia or racism at this time is justified or right, it’s a scientific fact. “Simply acknowledging that xenophobia has been adaptive in the past is not the same as endorsing or defending racism,” says Ley. This theory may help put things into perspective for you as we understand human history. Educate yourselves with the facts and resources Finally, let’s fight off this inevitable and evolutionary tendency of humans to reject “out-group” members of our society during this time by learning the facts. As the virus is now global — with USA, Brazil and Russia (in this order) being the top three most-affected countries, and with evidence of community transmission in most cities (the spread of an illness with no known link to travel or previously confirmed cases, which can signal a growing number of cases going unreported across the country, as defined by Adam Miller of CBC News) — you can pretty much catch it from anyone close by who is carrying the virus. There’s no telling of who carries it. The most we can do now to protect ourselves and prepare for the virus are to stay home, practice self-distancing, wash those hands (!!), have extra food and medicine stocked (don’t panic-buy though); and be mindful of other people who are more vulnerable to this virus (like the elderly and those who are immunocompromised). Help them if you can. More importantly, stay informed, but be wary of consuming too much fear-mongering content. My go-to resources are the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pages as they update daily. But there are so many more readily available resources for you for example in your local community and government pages; do your research. Remember: temper fear with reason, panic with patience and face uncertainty with education. -- Illustration by @chung.woolrim. Sources: DW, “Corona-phobia: Like SARS, coronavirus fear feeds racism“; Forbes, “How COVID-19 Coronavirus Is Uncovering Anti-Asian Racism“; The Atlantic, “The Other Problematic Outbreak“; The Hill, “Why outbreaks like coronavirus drive xenophobia and racism — and what we can do about it“; The Mercury News, “Coronavirus: Santa Clara County D.A. joins chorus to deter price gouging, warns against virus-fueled hate crimes“; The Star, “Train rider sprays Asian passenger with air freshener amid Covid-19 fears“
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AuthorAnn Villegas (she/her) is a writer and media undergraduate based in Brampton, Ontario. In her work, Ann explores mental health, wellness, self-love and hopes to give a voice to all Asian women. Archives
July 2020
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