With the recent pandemic that originated from China and that has forced millions of Americans to stay at home, some have looked for sources to blame. This blame manifests in an increase in anti-Asian sentiment.

 

“My mom went to buy hand sanitizer and masks for a family friend who wasn’t able to, and the cashier said to her ‘you can’t send that to china.’ My mom didn’t say anything beforehand and didn’t engage in any conversation with the cashier. Although this isn’t explicitly anti-Asian, it just rubs me the wrong way to see that situation play out,” senior Debby Wen said.

 

While Wen, who is of Chinese heritage, has not directly encountered explicit instances of anti-Asian sentiment herself, she has seen an increase in media about racism against Asians. She saw a news report of an elderly Asian man who was beaten by a group in public. 

 

Wen believes it is not justified for people to blame Asians amid the pandemic. If anything, she believes the increase in anti-Asian sentiment is the result of the existing deep-rooted racism that has always been present in America.

 

“It’s definitely not justified, blaming an entire race on this issue is illogical. Blaming the way the government handles the situation is different than blaming all Asians. People are using COVID-19 as an excuse to be racist.”

 

Wen believes that just as jokes about ebola are still around today, there will continue to be jokes about COVID-19 in the future. Though racism in America will continue to be a problem for ages to come, it is important that Americans don’t forget this moment in history. 

 

“Society will find some other bigger problem to obsess over, and this will get swept under the rug. Though it’s still going to exist, people will just stop caring. COVID-19 just brought forth the anti-Asian sentiments that were already there. When the pandemic is over, those sentiments will melt back into obscurity.”