Xenophobia: The Virus Eating America
By: Adara Zfan Paquito
Issue 4 Spring 2021
Ignorance. A single word that is simple yet deadly. Ignorance can be interpreted in different ways. The negative and stereotypical way people perceive ignorance is through their own experiences, while it could also be based on how the media projects itself to other people. One thing for sure is that ignorance is not only influenced by their surroundings, but it is also gained by their own beliefs. This brings people to be critical and downright insensitive towards other people, mainly people of color and Asian cultures, commonly referred to as the "Model Minority."
Quite a few people assume that the Asian communities are tough nuts, and a simple insult would not phase anyone. In fact, even the subtle words of mockery can lead to distress. “A lot of people in our generation nowadays or just any generation in general, can either be very educated and interested into the Asian American cultures or just out right ignorant and overall sees us as exotic animals,” Khanloc, also known as Chino, mentioned. Because some Asians have prominent features, people cannot help but to point out these features. Even though these features are acknowledged as exceptional or unique, the unlikeness of it is somehow brought up to cause unnecessary arguments. “I’ve encountered many uncomfortable situations before. My father once went to a McDonald’s drive-through and there was this one dude who said, ‘You look like Jackie Chan’. My father laughed it off, but it obviously hurt his feelings,” Chino commented. In the same way, Asians are often portrayed as the typical ‘rich’ minorities because of their wits and smarts when it comes to business lifestyle to movies. But in reality, Asians are thrown allegations and discrimination against their businesses. “I’ve once seen a white man in my mom’s nail salon call my mom a ‘chink’ for apparently ‘scamming him’. I was very angry at the moment and I was full of nothing but utter shock. I responded back by telling him to get out. This situation is forever engraved in my head and I will forever remember it.” Chino added.
Along with the recent global pandemic on the rise, a rise in attacks towards Asian communities also increased. Due to this, many people are divided over the situations that are currently being brought to light. “Popularity, lack of knowledge, and most importantly insecurity of being alone for standing up for people. Asian Americans don’t get a lot of defense at my school for this very reason. It’s almost as if people force themselves to be blind to these situations because since other people aren’t talking about it, they choose to not also do it because again, they feel insecure that they are alone,” Chino countered. For that reason, not too many people from the Asian communities are afraid to speak up. The demand for equality and protection, especially to the elderly, are starting to be brought up by multiple people on social platforms. “I am aware every day of race and racism. Going to a school predominately of white kids, I always catch them saying racist things and slurs. One time I caught white kids saying the ‘n-word’. It feels like it’s so normal for them to be saying such things out of school,” a famous Filipino TikTok user, Makayla acknowledged. Not a lot of people realize or even admit to the fact that some insults are belittling and can upset a lot of people. “Racism and discrimination can become a problem when it is used against someone to put them down mentally, emotionally, sometimes physically, and when it is used to harass someone,” Christian commented.
The generalization of a group of people to one stereotype also comes into place. As said earlier, the Asian community is having difficulties combating prejudice and bigotry. The impact of having to live in a society where competition often occurs may take a toll on a vast majority of people. “Bias perceptions can change and shift people’s opinions and feelings a lot. Many people actually use this as a source for power and when they view others, they think as if ‘oh they’re inferior to me’ because of this and that, and etc.” Chino retaliated. Not only are Asians seen as ‘inferior’ to some, but there are also other groups outside Asian communities that are disregarded or stripped of their validation. “The model minority stereotype is where they put Asians at the top to show how minorities can be successful here in the western world. This is very harmful because they weaponize it against other races. They use it to compare Asians to black people or Hispanics. For example, If Asians are so successful here, why aren’t black people or Hispanic people as successful?” Makayla added. Additionally, recent events can contribute to a majority of people discriminating against minority groups. "Race, in my opinion, affects interactions with others, my reason being is because, we, as a society tend to generalize a group of minorities based off negative experiences from one person, who happens to be of that race. Take, for example, 9/11. Since that incident, Muslim men, women, and children have been victimized of discrimination and violence simply because they are viewed as ‘terrorists’. The same goes for Asians and Covid-19". Christian continued.
Typical stereotypes towards the Asian communities are mainly the assumption of eating ‘dogs and cats’, as well as the inability to speak English ‘well.’ The idea of consumption of home pets was originally came from way back when America was starting to welcome immigrants to its homeland. Because of the low labor pay back in the days, a few working Asians were forced to find and scavenge for food for the sake of keeping food on the table for their families. “I would say almost frequently, I would find myself aware of racism around me. The last time I’ve experienced racism would probably be a few months ago in a grocery store, and the reason for it happening was because ‘all Asians are the cause of Covid-19’,” Christian added.
All things considered, people are still turning a blind eye to voices from the Asian communities. No matter what people do and try to share what is happening in places where narrow-mindedness and unfairness is commonly occurring, voices are to be left unheard on deaf ears. At the same time, there are also people, who are victims of unlawful treatment, still hoping to find the justice that is needed as of today.
Quite a few people assume that the Asian communities are tough nuts, and a simple insult would not phase anyone. In fact, even the subtle words of mockery can lead to distress. “A lot of people in our generation nowadays or just any generation in general, can either be very educated and interested into the Asian American cultures or just out right ignorant and overall sees us as exotic animals,” Khanloc, also known as Chino, mentioned. Because some Asians have prominent features, people cannot help but to point out these features. Even though these features are acknowledged as exceptional or unique, the unlikeness of it is somehow brought up to cause unnecessary arguments. “I’ve encountered many uncomfortable situations before. My father once went to a McDonald’s drive-through and there was this one dude who said, ‘You look like Jackie Chan’. My father laughed it off, but it obviously hurt his feelings,” Chino commented. In the same way, Asians are often portrayed as the typical ‘rich’ minorities because of their wits and smarts when it comes to business lifestyle to movies. But in reality, Asians are thrown allegations and discrimination against their businesses. “I’ve once seen a white man in my mom’s nail salon call my mom a ‘chink’ for apparently ‘scamming him’. I was very angry at the moment and I was full of nothing but utter shock. I responded back by telling him to get out. This situation is forever engraved in my head and I will forever remember it.” Chino added.
Along with the recent global pandemic on the rise, a rise in attacks towards Asian communities also increased. Due to this, many people are divided over the situations that are currently being brought to light. “Popularity, lack of knowledge, and most importantly insecurity of being alone for standing up for people. Asian Americans don’t get a lot of defense at my school for this very reason. It’s almost as if people force themselves to be blind to these situations because since other people aren’t talking about it, they choose to not also do it because again, they feel insecure that they are alone,” Chino countered. For that reason, not too many people from the Asian communities are afraid to speak up. The demand for equality and protection, especially to the elderly, are starting to be brought up by multiple people on social platforms. “I am aware every day of race and racism. Going to a school predominately of white kids, I always catch them saying racist things and slurs. One time I caught white kids saying the ‘n-word’. It feels like it’s so normal for them to be saying such things out of school,” a famous Filipino TikTok user, Makayla acknowledged. Not a lot of people realize or even admit to the fact that some insults are belittling and can upset a lot of people. “Racism and discrimination can become a problem when it is used against someone to put them down mentally, emotionally, sometimes physically, and when it is used to harass someone,” Christian commented.
The generalization of a group of people to one stereotype also comes into place. As said earlier, the Asian community is having difficulties combating prejudice and bigotry. The impact of having to live in a society where competition often occurs may take a toll on a vast majority of people. “Bias perceptions can change and shift people’s opinions and feelings a lot. Many people actually use this as a source for power and when they view others, they think as if ‘oh they’re inferior to me’ because of this and that, and etc.” Chino retaliated. Not only are Asians seen as ‘inferior’ to some, but there are also other groups outside Asian communities that are disregarded or stripped of their validation. “The model minority stereotype is where they put Asians at the top to show how minorities can be successful here in the western world. This is very harmful because they weaponize it against other races. They use it to compare Asians to black people or Hispanics. For example, If Asians are so successful here, why aren’t black people or Hispanic people as successful?” Makayla added. Additionally, recent events can contribute to a majority of people discriminating against minority groups. "Race, in my opinion, affects interactions with others, my reason being is because, we, as a society tend to generalize a group of minorities based off negative experiences from one person, who happens to be of that race. Take, for example, 9/11. Since that incident, Muslim men, women, and children have been victimized of discrimination and violence simply because they are viewed as ‘terrorists’. The same goes for Asians and Covid-19". Christian continued.
Typical stereotypes towards the Asian communities are mainly the assumption of eating ‘dogs and cats’, as well as the inability to speak English ‘well.’ The idea of consumption of home pets was originally came from way back when America was starting to welcome immigrants to its homeland. Because of the low labor pay back in the days, a few working Asians were forced to find and scavenge for food for the sake of keeping food on the table for their families. “I would say almost frequently, I would find myself aware of racism around me. The last time I’ve experienced racism would probably be a few months ago in a grocery store, and the reason for it happening was because ‘all Asians are the cause of Covid-19’,” Christian added.
All things considered, people are still turning a blind eye to voices from the Asian communities. No matter what people do and try to share what is happening in places where narrow-mindedness and unfairness is commonly occurring, voices are to be left unheard on deaf ears. At the same time, there are also people, who are victims of unlawful treatment, still hoping to find the justice that is needed as of today.
