Hateful Rhetoric: It’s All in the Name

By Arhon Strauss

Columnist

As COVID-19 has spread around the world, global xenophobic tendencies have also been on the rise, due almost entirely to the association drawn between the disease and Asian people Asians. This xenophobia has manifested itself in a variety of ways—from the bullying of young Asian students to flat out attacks against Asians and their families. The hate crimes have taken and continue to take a huge toll on the Asian community—if any of you are unconvinced of this, I’d encourage you to read Audrey Yin’s recent op-ed. 

The attacks share a single purpose: to drive the Asians out. It stems from a falsehood — that Asians are the carriers of the virus or that they somehow bear responsibility for this pandemic. These behaviors have been made worse by the divisive and inflammatory rhetoric of the “Chinese virus.” 

The term helps to subconsciously corroborate people’s association of the virus with Chinese people. It has shifted a focus in the populace at-large: instead of preventing the spread of COVID-19, many want to simply blame Chinese people — and Asians in general — for its existence.

Fundamentally, this thinking is what causes hate crimes — if the populace blames Asians for COVID-19, it becomes logical in people’s minds to try to get rid of them. As a result, they commit atrocious crimes against Asians in order to scare them off or, as they see it, get rid of the virus. This is why these terms are so dangerous: words are powerful because they alter behaviors and affect the thought processes of whole societies. 

Yet, despite the obvious bias that these terms are creating, many claim that they are not technically wrong. After all, the virus did originate in Wuhan, China. As such, they claim that the term “Chinese virus” is simply being used as an indication of the virus’s origin, with no harm done. 

While it can be argued that this is partially true, it does not excuse the real meaning behind the term and what it insinuates about Chinese people. As said before, the term heavily implies that Chinese people carry the virus, which only serves to worsen the xenophobia directed towards them. The presence of Chinese people may make some in society more fearful of getting COVID-19. They become scared, not just of the virus but of its supposed carriers

Furthermore, the use of these terms by public officials emboldens those who claim that it is okay. They think that, if people in reputable positions are using the terms, then it must be okay for them to use the terms as well. So these people’s ideas are given legitimacy when someone as important as the President of the United States of America calls COVID-19 the “Chinese virus.” 

Obviously, this is not the case; any term that is inappropriate will remain inappropriate, regardless of who uses it. Some have even tried to justify the name “Chinese virus” by pointing to the fact we still call the pandemic of 1918 the “Spanish flu.” Those who make this argument are correct, in that we should technically not be referring to the 1918 pandemic as the “Spanish flu.” Its official name is the H1N1 influenza, and the misnomer “Spanish influenza” was so widely accepted that it remains in the common vernacular.

But the term was developed over a century ago, when the rules on virus nomenclature were inherently different. I do admit that the term “Spanish flu” is socially incorrect, but this only goes to show that we should not repeat the mistakes of the past. We have alternative, socially acceptable names.

As it stands now, the spread of COVID-19 seems to be unstoppable, not only due to the resilience of the virus, but also because of the ignorance of people. Many have brushed off suggestions to stay inside and commit to social distancing. Yet, a number of these people, the very ones spreading the virus, pin the blame on the Chinese populace. Some have chosen to beat and bully anyone who even resembles a Chinese person, and the entire Asian community has been left in distraught.

The use of terms like the “Chinese virus” in lieu of more accurate and non-racial names is not only a symbol of some people’s misplaced focus. It worsens the situation by allowing for more ignorance. As a society, we should try to avoid referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” — it has proven wildly inappropriate, destructive and inflammatory in an already-difficult time.