increased stigma
Even without the appearance of COVID-19, the habit of linking Asian bodies to disease has long been predicated by the United States. In the initial SARS outbreak of 2002, anti-Asian racism and stigma was equally rampant, and the had spread globally (Man 2021, Zhang 2021). Since COVID-19’s inception, the significant increase of anti-Asian rhetoric in the United States that has associated the coronavirus with China, and consequentially, “Asians”, has led to a wave of anti-Asian violence, especially in cities that contain significant Asian populations. This wave has no doubt been instigated from the slew of anti-Asian rhetoric promoted by former president Donald Trump who referred to the coronavirus as “Wuhan virus,” and the “Kung Flu,” (Mura 2021, 119). It is terms like these that have led to an increase of stigma for a wide range of individuals.
Apart from the face value stigma of contract the virus, there is the added layer of people thinking that you have the virus because you are Asian. This sentiment was shared among the following contributors:
Apart from the face value stigma of contract the virus, there is the added layer of people thinking that you have the virus because you are Asian. This sentiment was shared among the following contributors:
You're afraid to kind of like cough or sneeze, because you feel that people might make assumptions that you have like the virus when you don't. [...] they don't even have to be Chinese [--] because people just hate Asian people, because they feel that we're responsible for bringing the virus over. (Sarah)
Uh, there was news [00:06:00] in, uh, in maybe 2020, uh, which says-- the coronavirus is Chinese virus. So, yeah, so we should to... we should hate Chinese people or, require Chinese people to compensate something. (DSM)
Social media really made me aware of it. The space we have on our phones and screens, that kind of became a hostile place. I guess it's-- seeing videos of old Asian people being assaulted on the street, from the back-- yeah, just seeing all of those videos (Zoombi)
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Personally I would feel more conscious of my appearance when I am in like airport or something, especially when I'm traveling-- the way people look at me, they might not mean anything, but then I would be very conscious... and like when I wear a mask... it's like -- Oh my gosh, what if people think I'm spreading the virus and stuff? I know that doesn't make sense, but still. (Moro)
So for me, uh, when the COVID-19 has happened I still in America, cause like I have high school in United State. So--- I feel like some people probably think like I am Asian and will like, uh, you know, like discriminate, but I don't know. Like sometimes they just like use those things through their eyes. They don't really speak, like it's like, uh, against Asian things. So sometimes I was afraid people will like say those things so, yeah. (Eric)
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In the United States there is a clear stigma regarding individuals of Asian and East Asian descent, however general xenophobia is also on the rise. An instance of general xenophobia while abroad was mentioned by the following contributor:
One people in my city, I don't know his name, but when my city became safe, and he went to my city with coronavirus from abroad, [talking in agreement], from like French, or yeah--[00:04:00] which means we should to keep to continue this person, which make us stay at home. [...] but someone-- someone says, "Ahhh, why you go French, and then why you go back to our city? [...] [reiterating/ explaining what people were saying]: 'you shouldn't be here because you go to French and, uh, pass by a lot of city-- Why you bring this coronavirus to our city? (DSM)
One people in my city, I don't know his name, but when my city became safe, and he went to my city with coronavirus from abroad, [talking in agreement], from like French, or yeah--[00:04:00] which means we should to keep to continue this person, which make us stay at home. [...] but someone-- someone says, "Ahhh, why you go French, and then why you go back to our city? [...] [reiterating/ explaining what people were saying]: 'you shouldn't be here because you go to French and, uh, pass by a lot of city-- Why you bring this coronavirus to our city? (DSM)
As mentioned above, there is both stigma in the States, and abroad. This increase in xenophobia puts international students in a double jeopardy. International students and contributors are stigmatized in the States for belonging to Asian descent, and then further stigmatized back home because they have been abroad. This common theme was shared among the following contributors:
When I go back home, there are some people in China, they have never have a chance to go abroad and they have some. sort of bias to the student who study abroad. They said they thought, you are study abroad, because you're not at, not good at study, and you didn't take Gaokao. (National College Entrance Examination) And at that time. They said, "oh, those student who go back because of the COVID, you are the virus spreader", and do some some of sort of tag on social media. And I think that's also the um cyber-[00:02:00] , violence. (WeiDi)
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We had this instance cause like, these Korean American students or Korean students who studied in America or elsewhere, they would come in and they would just like, ignore all the precautions. They would just not wear masks and roam around and go to clubs and make everyone get-- contract the virus. So people were like, they are "black haired foreigners". It's like a term. And they were like, "Get out of the country. You guys are making the situation worse here in Korea." So I know, and I w--- when I heard that, I'd be like, "oh my gosh, I am just a good person staying at home. I'm not going out partying. I'm not sick," but yeah. (Moro)
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Among the contributors who returned to their home countries, some of them faced stigma both in person and saw it online, because they had been abroad in the U.S.. So not only were they facing stigma, in the U.S. seeing messages to “go back to China,” they were also seeing messages about people traveling abroad, messages telling them that their hometown or city is safe, and doesn’t want them, because they have been abroad.
Alternatively, when contributors were asked how other people treated them during COVID-19, a few contributors shared that they did not feel like there was any stigma about being Asian or Asian American, and they were treated the same.
This can be seen in the following responses:
Alternatively, when contributors were asked how other people treated them during COVID-19, a few contributors shared that they did not feel like there was any stigma about being Asian or Asian American, and they were treated the same.
This can be seen in the following responses:
So I think, I definitely get sick, like just two months ago, two months ago? It's I got a serious cold and, uh, I think people just treat me like normal, cause a lot of people get cold at that time. Maybe the flu or something. (Xuan)
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I didn't mention that. [...] Yeah, I have to-- like, when I back to China, I have to quarantine for 14 days plus seven weeks stay in my home. So like 21 days. So... When I go-- yeah. So when I go outside, I think I'm normal person. So I didn't notice [think], "oh I come from Am--, I come back from America, [00:02:00] so I just.... like... a normal person. (Siyan)
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As seen in the response above, stigma has a variety of results. Some people have felt its direct affects in relation to their identity while others felt that there was no change at all. It can be noted that the way people perceive things is highly diverse and it depends on case-by-case scenario to each individual person’s experience, and previous experience. Further, and not in a negative, sense, some individuals might not realize they are being discriminated against or treated differently in the face of stigmatization and marginalization. With the experiences of both stigma and anti-Asian hate, the state of my contributors’ health and mental health was significantly impacted. Their lived stories are detailed in the following (section).