Coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been front-page news for the past few weeks. I have been following the news on the virus and I can say that I am fairly disgusted with some of the rhetoric being used to describe populations from where the virus originated. The inflammatory and discriminatory rhetoric that has been used to describe people of Chinese descent is not only rooted in ignorance but serves as fuel to the fire for the spread of misinformation.
This is a public health emergency. Mainland China has the largest number of reported cases with 74,188 people infected. 1,770 people have died from infection with COVID-19, four of them outside of mainland China. It is believed that the virus may be spread through respiratory droplets.
I want you to reflect on what I have just described to you. Is the information I have just provided you of a somewhat statistical nature? Is the information direct and to the point? Is the information based on my own opinions or is it sourced from verified resources in the scientific community? Hopefully, your answer to all of those questions was “yes”.
Do you want to know how long it took me to find this information? Maybe 10 minutes. Do you want to know how I found this information? Google.
If it only takes 10 minutes to keep yourself up to date on an event that has been classified as a public health emergency and who is being impacted along with how it can be spread, then there is quite frankly no excuse I can think of to make statements based off of racist perceptions that generalize an entire group of people.
Related: Coronavirus Is Not an Excuse for Your Casual Racism
For me, one of the main draws to going to Mason was the diversity our university prides itself on. That being said, it is all the more upsetting to see that some in our community have found it appropriate to lead with ignorance and discriminatory actions toward fellow students.
News flash! Your jokes aren’t funny! They are just plain offensive and reminiscent of how much further we have to go in terms of how we treat minority communities in this country. They also aren’t funny due to the fact that there are people dying from the virus that has been deemed by some to be comedic material. What’s to say that someone who is just as ignorant might see a joke online and think it is rooted in truth? Do everyone a favor and if you are thinking about posting something that is offensive and false, maybe don’t post it.
Making light of and assumptions about not only a new disease but any health crisis for that matter is stigmatizing and hysteria-inducing. Especially considering COVID-19 has impacted on our own community here at Mason, I would like to emphasize the importance of keeping yourself informed. I encourage you to act not only based on fact, but with empathy and kindness. Here is a resource compiled by the university that is a great source to educate yourself with.
Be respectful and stay informed, collegiettes.
*Disclaimer: This article was written and finalized on 02/19/2020. The statistics reported are likely to have increased/changed.*