By Mary I. Tanousis
Fear is a very powerful thing. It is only when fear comes that we know the power and strength that our community holds. Some choose to separate from one another and use the fear to harm others and others choose to use this fear to come together.
We can look back to our school life before we were sent home and see the harm that was done to our Eastern Asian classmates. Students would constantly pick on and tease them whenever they would cough or sneeze and this response to the fear of illness and the unknown is not a sustainable one. This is just one small example of the harm that can come to a small community when racially profiling someone seems appropriate due to current events.
The name "Chinese Virus" is one of the many reasons why Eastern Asians are being harassed in the United States of America. The New York Times reported a woman in Washington State that had been spat on in the street while walking to her gym. Following this, President Donald Trump posted a tweet while also using the term "Chinese Virus". While President Trump has said that he will stop calling COVID-19 "Chinese Virus" the effects have already been made.
The term creates a mass division between Eastern Asians and their communities and places blame on an entire country and their citizens. Even though the virus was first recorded there, does not mean that we should place the country in the name. The reason for this is that it creates an us versus them attitude, and now in a time of crisis we need to come together more than ever.
The COVID-19 outbreak is definitely one of many tragic events that have occurred in this century but we must not allow that fear to divide us. We must work together, help our communities and empathise with those who are struggling through these hard times. We must focus on what is important and lend a hand to communities who might be struggling.