Being An Asian In The Age Of Coronavirus
@Lucas Cristino
I am Asian – that’s it. Enough should be said, with really no need for further explanation. Instead, even in this day and age where we have astronauts exploring outer space and are having conversations with people across the word via our watches- Asians still find ourselves needing to verify which country our parents came from. Why there is no foreign accent when we speak and most recently why we don’t have the Corona Virus. More often or not, its harmless curiosity but somehow in this overwhelming climate where coughing in public is almost equivalent to a hate crime- any social progression we have made within the last twenty years was seemingly all for nothing.
To a faint extent, people’s naivety is somewhat understandable. In this uncertain time of isolated quarantine with no real end date in sight, fear for the future is all that occupies our time at the moment. Grocery stores have turned into battlegrounds because of a toilet paper meme; the news now only covers one story and everyday - poor reflections of our humanity are starting to unveil our true selfish instincts more and more. The unknowingness of tomorrow or even later in the day has innately created an increasing fear monger culture across the world- and so with no real solution evident at the moment, the conclusion drawn in the meantime has somehow landed at racism. Everyone is looking for a lift raft in this uncharted water and in doing so have forgotten that prejudice behaviour is still not justifiable, and as obvious as it may sound- it’s also not the cure.
Some months ago when the build for the pandemic was starting to brew- a woman in my office elevator had confidently asked when was the last time I had been to China. Taken aback by such an absurd question from a stranger as well as being limited by the time frame of an elevator- all I was able to muster out was simply that it was about five years ago on a backpacking vacation. Usually when people ask innocent questions about race, they usually follow it up with benign comments such as ‘Oh! I have a friend who is also from there or I went to this restaurant one time and it tasted so good – have you tried it?’ to which a simple smile and a good will gesture from your side of things will end the conversation. However unsatisfied with my answer- this cavewoman disguised as an entitled business lady continued with, ‘what about your parents? Are they here or overseas?’
Should there have been more time to put together a more vaguely progressive response- something along the lines of ‘although our skins differ, we probably carry the same citizenship and despite that, it is still somewhat offensive to ask someone you don’t know such presumptuous questions’ would have been more suited. Looking back now though, even ‘piss off’ seems to have been a better answer.
Crippled in that moment and still registering whether or not this interaction was actually happening, the return to her question was more so an unsettled ‘We’re Vietnamese and have been here since the war ended almost thirty years ago. My parents work in a mattress factory and contribute to the economy like good citizens. They have never been to China and are clean people’. If the elevator doors hadn’t opened, I worry that I would have rambled on about why showers are better than baths- in a poor form attempt to distance myself away from the virus and stray far from any connation that I would be interpreted as unclean. Admittedly I am embarrassed that my response was rather weak but two months on since then, someone derogatively yelled Corona at me the other day. After an entire lifetime of experiencing inherent racism- you learn a few defence tricks along the way- to not only safeguard yourself but also negate any violence that may be stirring in the background.
Twenty years ago, strangers would yell from across the street telling you to go back where you came from- and being an innocent child all you could think was ‘that’s why I’m waiting for the bus sir’. It happened so often that eventually racism almost became immune and apart of our society- it was simply just how things were. When people would mockingly pulled their eyes sideways, you would just roll yours- when they would make fun of your immigrant heritage, you would simply divert your attention elsewhere and should anyone ever spit in your direction, you could only turn the cheek and walk away.
Eventually though, our young voices grew into a woke adulthood- where we not only learnt that this behaviour was no longer tolerable but we also gained the ability to defend our parents through educated words and actions. For a time, there was a general consensus that racism was no longer accepted and those that participated were now themselves in the minority. Yet despite all the strides that have been achieved within the last decade, the anxiety of this current pandemic has taken over our developed kindness and replaced it once again with an anti-Asian sentiment.
Horrible things inevitably happen all the time, yet we don’t blame the Black Plague on Europe or the Kardashians on America- instead we as a whole generally move forward with one another to get through these difficult times. Take the bushfires that just swept through much of Australia recently, the whole world gathered together to send funds and prayers to the burning nation; or when Kobe Bryant passed away- we all mourned the loss and remembered his legacy together. Nowadays though, as we live in a real time epidemic, collectiveness is no more and everyone is fighting to be the fittest. Even if that means stepping on an entire race to survive, so be it. When you associate an ethnicity with a virus, it insights hate against a particular group -whom are not only sharing in both the struggles and restoration but also are not to blame.
No one is denying the origin of the Covid-19 virus and no one is suggesting that this is not a difficult time in history for everyone, all we are asking for is common courtesy again. To be looked at as your fellow comrade rather than contagious beings, to be regarded worthy of decency as oppose to the public scrutiny happening at the moment and truthfully, be seen as human once more. We’re just like you – that’s it. Let’s get through this together.
Words / QUADE AU