NOA Episode 1.2 Coronavirus and Racism

Narratives of Asia
Written By Omar Khan

Image Credits: cottonbro/Pexels (Left), Anna Shvets/Pexels (Right)

 

Interview with Elizabeth Yan/First-year Politics and International Relations (Chinese)

“The virus itself is a threat to public health, and somehow, the masks represent that threat because people here are told only to wear masks if they are ill. But there are two different ways of going about the whole idea of mask wearing.

In China for instance, well actually in Asia generally, especially in Japan and Korea, if you’re ill you wear a mask. If you’re not ill, you still wear a mask when you're in public spaces to protect yourself and others. It’s just a common thing to do, but in the West, not so much. I find it quite interesting how people in the West don’t seem to understand that wearing a mask helps protect others from you and also yourself from others. It’s a two-way thing. I just don’t quite understand the rationale behind people who think masks are a threat. What is it a threat of? Am I going to hide my face and then go attack people? Those are both very unlikely.”

Why is it that we see less people wearing masks in London? Do you think it’s more due to cultural differences or societal norms and social behaviours in different countries?

I think it is to do with cultural differences, but I think it has got more to do with societal values. In my opinion, there is a much stronger sense of community in Asian countries...there is a notion of ‘communal’; that I am a part of ‘community’ and ‘I am responsible for my community as well’ in Asian communities. Whereas in the West it’s more individualist and that I have the ‘liberty’ to do something. I feel like it’s just a varying amount of emphasis put in these two things that are compatible but are dependent on which one weighs more; which one is my priority.

It’s frustrating to see things get worse and people are still debating on whether they should place their own liberties first or the safety of the community. I think that’s really selfish.

Have you had any ‘racial encounters’ growing up?

My first kind of encounter, (I’m not sure if racism is the right word, perhaps it was more ‘child’s play’) was on the first day of school when people asked me, ‘What’s your name? Where are you from?’ and I’d reply, ‘Hi, I’m Liz and I’m from China, Shanghai.’ Then the third question which everyone would ask me was, ‘do you eat dogs?’ I didn’t exactly know how to react to that and I was just a little bit confused; why are people asking me this? I wasn’t even aware of my identity as Asian or as Chinese. I considered myself as just a person, you know. That was the first time I became aware of my stereotypical identity and their implications. That was kind of a shock for a 14 year old.

What about the incident with Jonathan Mok? What is your view on the backlash he has received for choosing to confront and not ‘keep quiet and confront’?

He didn’t do anything wrong though. I feel like a virtue in one culture may not be considered a virtue in another. For instance, Asians are typically known to be quite humble, very reflective people and quite open minded. Open minded because we are the minority and we can’t afford to not be. In some ways, it's socially conditioned and in other ways it’s embedded in culture, there are two different influences of that attitude I suppose. I consider it a marketplace of ideas; people can have their own ideas but it doesn’t mean that we don’t have the right to argue against them. That’s what I think. Especially with this sort of scenario, it's not just minorly offensive, it can have a significant impact on someone, beyond their life. It’s almost like a form of defamation.

Image Credits: Kaspars Misins/Pexels

Image Credits: Kaspars Misins/Pexels

How have these events changed your attitude towards society? And has fear of racial aggression changed your social behaviour at all?

It’s only encouraged me to wear the mask more. Because, I can’t just stand this kind of attitude; I won’t surrender to this.

The effect immediately afterwards was that I felt really insecure. I really felt at home in London for the past four, five years. When people ask me where do you feel more at home, London or Shanghai, it’s like asking me whether I like my dad more or my mum. I can’t pick and choose, they’re both my homes and places that I grew up in. Immediately after that I was doubting and questioning my sense of belonging in London. It was strange because I had never felt that before but I also felt that it was a worthy life lesson to have learnt; that you kind of have to fight for your place to stay.

So the next day when I went out to run errands, I wore a facemask and wrote on it with a sharpie, ‘Spread Love’...wearing a mask and writing a message, whatever race, gender and age you are, is protecting you from the virus and showing solidarity to those who have been subjects of racist attacks. It’s a symbol of solidarity to people who have been victims of this injustice.

Editor's Note: a spiritual perspective on what is a ‘physical’ public health crisis

After the recording ended, Elizabeth and I spoke further on what was frustrating us at that very moment. For me, it was the lack of sunlight in my room and how I felt like I have had my summer stolen from me. For Elizabeth, she had had her mind preoccupied with this new theory to help explain the current climate of abnormality. For the purposes of explaining this afterthought, let’s call this theory ‘the theory of mending societal flaws.

According to this theory, the world is a body, like a human body, and coronavirus which is rapidly spreading through this ‘body’ and infecting the population are our white (blood) cells. For those of you who may not have been blessed by knowledge of basic biology, white (blood) cells make up our immune system and help us fight off pathogens; disease-causing microorganisms. White (blood) cells do this by performing a series of immune responses which not only fight off pathogens but also help with developing life-long mechanisms which improve your body’s responses to future reinfection. This is what we know as immunity; by the end of the spread of coronavirus, the societal ‘body’ will develop ‘immunity’ to what has recently been revealed as ‘societal flaws’.

The spread of coronavirus in terms of the rate of infection across the global matches that of the rate of cell multiplication which happens in the human body. If we extend the metaphor even further, similarities can be drawn between the way the virus has taken lives of so many and the way the body develops immunity from immune responses conducted by white (blood) cells, except in The Theory, the deterioration of the body comes prior to that of development of immunity; the process of deterioration involving both the taking down of societal structure and organisation but also a re-thinking of societal functions.

Perhaps this pandemic was sent upon us by something greater to help us to recognise the dysfunctionality and lack of order and structure in our current society. However, has it really taken a pandemic for us to realise just how disillusioned we are in our current society? The headlines of articles that are currently in circulation on social media and online platforms suggest a conclusive ‘yes’ to the question above. Whilst the content is nothing novel, our intrinsic nature to ‘turn a blind eye’ to societal wrongs and faults has led us into this era of complacency and disillusionment disguised by normality and ignorance. Whilst we are upset by the numbers of lives lost each day to the virus, and are greatly saddened by the increasing number of cases, what is of equal concern to us is that of the societal failures that have been shown up as a result. From panic-shoppers, actions such as hoarding and stockpiling to explict expressions of racism and discrimination, the pandemic has reavealled truly an ugly side to humanity. What is horrifying is that despite the celebration of the western world being ‘progressive in nature’, some of these attitudes/values have been fundamental and intrinsic to particular societies.

However, perhaps the greater being has shown us mercy by helping us realise this need for change and reorganisation. Should society have continued the way it was, for our 2020s to be ‘the best year yet’, it may take years, decades, if not a millenia, for us to realise the way we are behaving and make radical and dramatic changes to our attitudes and values on a societal level. For it is through changes in behaviour that will induce changes in attitudes and values in the long term. Change can be achieved by all individuals, regardless of where you are from, your race, colour, gender and age. Societal failures will not mend itself. As part of humanity, we make up the society and we all have a responsibility in changing ourselves in aid of helping society recover and improve.

Transcriptor and Editor: Angela Zhou

Omar Khan
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NOA Episode 1.1 Coronavirus and Racism