Owing to recent misfortunes, cases of discrimination have spiked around the world.
Across North America and Europe, people of Asian descent are subject to insults, harassment and attacks. Whether they were born in Asia, born in the West or born elsewhere, Asian people have been hit with more racial slurs and physical violence as the pandemic worsened. While people of Chinese descent (e.g. Chinese-Americans) might receive the worst of the discrimination, other Asians are not safe from the increasing hatred. For example, the windows of the Korean consulate in Montreal, Canada were smashed in a coronavirus-fueled hate crime. Many people have condemned the rise in anti-Asian discrimination, but it seems that others (e.g. Donald Trump) - especially those who use sensitive terms like "Chinese virus" - are indirectly or directly promoting such discrimination.
Africa and Asia have their own cases of hatred too. The Chinese diaspora in African countries, consisting of many people with no government ties, have feared backlash over coronavirus concerns. In India, people who look Chinese or East Asian risk being the targets of racial insults and violent attacks by Indians. Other Asian countries such as Vietnam have recorded incidents of Sinophobia and anti-Chinese hatred related to coronavirus fears. South Korea has seen a surge in hatred, though for a different reason; many people in South Korea are scapegoating the entire LGBT community, because recent coronavirus cases have been linked to nightclubs and people who happened to be LGBT.
In China, xenophobic and anti-black discrimination have worsened substantially. Xenophobia comes in many ways; some Americans have reported being called the "American virus" and other light-skinned foreigners are given stark, disgusted looks. As for anti-black discrimination, many black people have been evicted from residences and are treated negatively. Black people in China may be barred from entering hospitals or restaurants, even if they are in a relationship with someone who is ethnically Chinese (ethnically-Chinese partners are not restricted in any manner). But perhaps the worst part is that whereas hatred in other parts of the world is condemned by many governments, the Chinese government/Chinese Communist Party may be at worst condoning the xenophobia and anti-black racism happening in China.
Only one thing is clear. Even with reasonable people and governments taking a stand, it's likely that coronavirus-related discrimination - whether based on race, ethnicity, nationality or even sexual orientation - will persist in the foreseeable future across the world. Given the outstanding ignorance of many people (especially those who may already be secretly hateful or racist), the only possible path for everyone is to be an ally of the persecuted.
I agree that cases of hatred must be called out whenever they arise. However, simply highlighting and prosecuting the perpetrators cannot and will not be enough. What do you think is an effective way of curbing coronavirus-fueled hatred? How should we combat coronavirus-related discrimination, while taking into account relevant national and cultural contexts (e.g. anti-racism in the West vs. anti-racism in Africa vs. xenophobia in China)?
