The Rise in Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia in the Time of COVID-19
The Rise in Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia in the Time of COVID-19
复制标题
COVID-19 时期反亚裔种族主义和仇外心理的兴起
作者:
M. Kaplan
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a detrimental impact on the health of
the American people and those abroad, the social consequences stemming from the spread
of the virus have become an international crisis whose effects reach far beyond the
medical issues associated with the disease. Racial and xenophobic propaganda about the
illness promoted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and at campaign
rallies by former President Trump has spurred a dramatic increase in anti-immigrant
sentiments toward Asian Americans. The polarizing effects of the Administration’s
anti-Asian rhetoric have become a battle cry that has given renewed justification to the
growing number of White Supremacist hate groups stepping up their bias-related attacks
against members of a community, which they believe is the primary source of viral
transmission. The present article analyzes the socioeconomic and psychological factors
contributing to the increase of COVID-19-related racism and xenophobia in the United
States. It reviews the history of sociocultural responses to past epidemics to aid our
understanding of society’s reaction to the current global epidemic. It also examines
specific legislative and grassroots measures that advocacy organizations and the federal
government can implement to stem the tide of misinformation about the viral transmission
at the heart of the current surge of violence and racial discrimination against the
Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.