In the midst of a pandemic, Americans can’t stop doing two things: 1) raiding their local supermarkets in hopes of grabbing the last toilet paper roll, and 2) continuing the spread of anti-Chinese indoctrination. We see this in our own President’s words when he deliberately calls COVID-19 the “Chinese virus.” We see this in the rise of despicable, abhorrent hate crimes against Asians throughout the entire nation, and we see this in the incessant American propaganda that relentlessly paints China as an authoritarian villain.
Beyond looking at the history that has incited ceaseless sinophobia in this country, let’s focus on the positives of what China has done well instead of succumbing to American media that demonizes one of the only countries in the world to slow the spread of this coronavirus pandemic.
On Jan. 23, after it was evident that the coronavirus needed to be contained, Wuhan and other areas of the Hubei province were effectively put under mandatory quarantine and other measures, such as wearing obligatory face masks outside, closing shops, canceling events, and teaching remote classes, were enforced on the entire country. The government was able to implement quarantining through apps called Alipay and WeChat, as they could use them to track where people go and fundamentally prevent any spread of the virus. Beyond this, healthcare workers from all over the nation were sent to Wuhan, while the city also constructed two hospitals primarily for coronavirus affected patients.
To Americans, some aspects of this system may sound unconstitutional and aggressive, which I completely understand. But the point that I am trying to emphasize is the collectivism and deep communal bonds that are prevalent throughout all of China, which ultimately allowed them to come together to fight the outbreak. Although the mandatory quarantine was only required for areas in Hubei, the rest of the country also voluntarily quarantined, clearly understanding the severity of COVID-19.
Bruce Aylward, a Canadian World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist says that, “Everywhere you went, anyone you spoke to, there was a sense of responsibility and collective action, and there’s war footing to get things done.” And clearly these seemingly forceful tactics of containment worked, as a WHO report announced on Feb. 28 that “China’s bold approach to contain the rapid spread of this new respiratory pathogen has changed the course of a rapidly escalating and deadly epidemic…This decline in COVID-19 cases across China is real.” And now, less than a month later, life in China is slowly returning to normal, demonstrating their massive success in beating this disease.
But in America and other parts of the world, chaos arises. Just within the US, more and more cases of the virus are appearing every single day, while we go on frenzied trips to Target and travel across the globe just because plane tickets are cheap. Any sense of community that was present in China is lost here, and as a country that prides itself on individualism and independence, it is that lack of collectivism that is failing us. When we were warned about the coronavirus months ago, our government essentially did nothing. And while the government needs to take much of the responsibility, blame can also be placed on the American people as a whole. Anti-Chinese prejudice reinforced by our biased media gave us an excuse to bash China and its ‘authoritarian regime,’ thus painting their successful collectivism in a negative light.
In turn, we did not take the time to understand the gravity of the virus, took no initiatives, and now the consequences are clear. Our individual, selfish needs, fueled by sinophobic influences blinded us from being willing to take necessary action.
China came together as one to tackle a common enemy, and what Americans are so hesitant to accept is the fact that it worked. While our yellow peril, anti-communist history pushes us to keep criticizing all the things China ever does, we undoubtedly have to acknowledge their successful efforts in combatting a massive epidemic, and realize that maybe China really isn’t as abominable as American propaganda constantly paints it to be.
But until then, business as usual in China continues to be restored, while Americans continue to buy out the hand sanitizers in Costco, violate the safeties of social distancing, and make a joke out of a pandemic. Until then, China continues its containment success, while America continues to fail.
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