I’m a Chinese Adoptee and Here is How Coronavirus Affects Me
COVID-19 has officially landed in the United States. It’s been wreaking havoc in China since December of last year, and it’s finally made its way stateside. Which is why SNL spoofed the virus through a skit featuring the hot new show on Netflix, Love is Blind.
While it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt kind of situation, there have been a lot of people getting hurt. Not only is this coronavirus taking people’s lives, but it’s also causing a whole different disease: xenophobia.
This isn’t just happening in the United States, other Asian countries are also closing their doors to Chinese people. Taiwan has barred mainland Chinese from traveling to their islands. Japan and South Korea have, as well. But I’m not here to talk about the xenophobia between Asians, I’m here to talk about the xenophobia against Asian-Americans.
It’s not secret that Asian American history has shown that Asians have, at times, been declared unclean. The “Yellow Peril” was a thing of the 1800s — or 2020. Sometimes, it’s hard because the lines have been blurred too much in the past couple of months.
I’ve been hesitant to speak up against this xenophobia, but I can’t stand not saying anything any longer. I acknowledge that I have privilege — privilege because I live in America, thousands of miles away from the epicenter in Wuhan, but it hits too close to home for me. I was adopted from Wuhan. It’s my hometown, and I proudly state that to everyone I know. But for the past few weeks, I’ve been ashamed — not of where I come from, but from the reaction of the international community.
Misinformation concerning the virus has been rampant. At one point, educated men and women believed that Chinese people who consumed bat soup were the origination of this strain of the coronavirus. That was fake news. And yet, the news media hasn’t really done anything to stop the hysteria.
I am taking this virus seriously. I understand that people are afraid of getting sick. But we can also just as easily catch a common cold or the flu. The deaths related to COVID-19, while devastating, have mainly been older people and those with compromised immune systems. Just like a healthy person can catch the flu and get better, the chances of you getting COVID-19 and dying are slim.
So, I implore everyone out there: treat everyone with compassion. Understand that the people who are affected by this disease is a human being, and they deserve to be treated with dignity. For those of you out there that think it’s okay to yell, “Go back to China!” at least be an educated racist. Not all Asians are Chinese. And a good number of Asians you meet in America have most likely lived in the United States for as long as you have — since birth.
Coronavirus isn’t a death sentence — but it is divisive. At times like this, we need to come together instead of being torn apart. Show compassion to your neighbors. Do what makes you feel comfortable about your health, but please remember that at times like this, your Asian friends and family are facing a whole other battle that isn’t disease-related.
