BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) questions: Why is the epidemic of Asian Americans suffer discrimination under the more serious?
Author: Kim Long Run
May is the Asian-Pacific Heritage Month established by the US government every year. Its purpose is to thank the Asian-Pacific ethnicity for their contributions to the country. But the current situation is that Asian-Pacific people, including Chinese, are suffering from increasingly serious racial discrimination because of the new crown epidemic.
According to statistics from the American Association for the Promotion of Chinese Rights and Interests, there are currently about 100 cases of discrimination against Asian-Pacific people reported throughout the United States every day. As of April 7, the number of discrimination incidents collected by the agency has reached nearly 1,400. These incidents of discrimination appear in the form of verbal harassment, deliberate avoidance, and beatings. Another report from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) showed that the number of hate crimes against Asian communities in the United States continued to rise during the epidemic and deserves high attention.
The reason why racial discrimination and xenophobia in the United States spread with the New Crown Virus is that politicians who use the epidemic to stigmatize and spread the "political virus" are directly responsible.
Since the outbreak, a group of US politicians, including the US president, secretary of state, and members of both houses of Congress, have continued to discredit China. They frequently used discriminatory terms such as “Chinese virus” and “Wuhan pneumonia” to concocate statements such as “the virus originated from the Wuhan Virus Research Institute” and “China spread the virus to the United States”. "Claim" action plan.
At a press conference held by the White House on the 11th of this month, Trump faced a question from a Chinese female reporter and directly answered "Don't ask me, go to China". This abnormal behavior is widely interpreted as racially discriminatory.
Facing the rising atmosphere of racial discrimination, San Antonio, Texas, recently passed a resolution to classify words such as "Chinese virus" and "Kung Fu virus" into the category of hate speech, saying that related words will cause hate crimes and discrimination against Asians. . The resolution clearly stated that the new coronavirus has nothing to do with any ethnicity, nationality and race.
In response, Texas Republican Senator Cruz showed strong opposition. He bluntly stated on Twitter, "This is crazy." The senator who has long held an anti-China stance said that using the "Chinese virus" is the right approach.
What Cruz showed was the "unrestricted" side of some American politicians, who accused legitimate actions of preventing hate crimes. They objectively contributed to the spread and spread of racial discrimination and xenophobia. They are not only "arsonists" but also "fans".
History and reality have repeatedly warned people that as an immigrant country, the racial relations of the United States have special vulnerabilities. Racial discrimination and xenophobia hidden in dark corners have never disappeared. Whenever there is an opportunity, they will come back and tear up American society. Add precautions.
In 1882, after various preparations and propaganda, the then US President Chester Arthur officially signed the "Exclusion Act", which was the first anti-immigration law against specific races and ethnicities promulgated in American history. The bill not only discriminated against Chinese in the United States, but also directly threatened their safety. There are reports that Wyoming and Oregon broke out in 1885 and 1887, respectively, with brutal massacres against the Chinese. As a shame in the history of the United States, the "Exclusion Act" was not abolished until 1943, and the United States Congress did not make a symbolic apology until 2012.
The "9.11" incident in 2001 completely changed the fate of Muslims in the United States. Affected by conservative ideas, Muslims were labeled as brutal and violent after the "9.11" incident. The lives of a large number of Muslims have been affected. Some Muslims have been closely monitored for being included in the list of potential risks, while others have lost their lives due to discrimination and attacks. "Muslim phobia" has gradually become the collective subconsciousness of some Americans, and misunderstandings and hostility have never really resolved.
In the current new crown epidemic, racial discrimination and xenophobia have once again shown amazing destructive power. Both history and reality have proved that political orientation plays a prominent and important role in the handling of racial issues by the American people. Political figures therefore bear special responsibilities. In the current epidemic, American politicians should immediately stop the stigmatization and stop "incite the flames" to avoid the unjust "epidemic" external harm of Asians. (Finish)