Virus and disease have always been used to defend xenophobic thoughts and actions. At the early onset of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s, Haitians were targeted as culprits. The 2010s’ Ebola outbreak resulted in prejudice against Africans. Violent and unjust political action against migrants is sometimes backed with the fear of “others” bringing in disease. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has found its scapegoat: Asian Americans.

Due to the virus’ origin in Wuhan, China, Asian Americans have faced prejudice from an ignorant public, with a prime example being Chinatowns throughout the U.S. In particular, Chinatown in San Francisco has suffered great economic loss due to this prejudice. A once booming area for tourists to experience Chinese cuisine and culture is nearly a ghost town.

This pandemic has given us unprecedented closures in various business sectors. Both Disney parks are shut down. The 2020 NBA season is suspended until further notice. The NCAA March Madness tournament, which possesses immense monetary value and fan support, was canceled before it could begin.

The corporate conglomerates behind these decisions noticed both the harm to public health and their own wallets that would occur if they let these events go on. They considered the outcomes and made a decision, a decision they consented to.

Asian Americans who own businesses in the U.S. had no time to weigh the outcomes and make their own decisions. The American public decided for them through ignorance and prejudiced inaction.

Asian Americans also face individual attacks and microaggressions while in public places. For example, a Vietnamese art curator An Nguyen dropped out of an art fair in the U.K. She did this because the fellow curators around her saw her involvement as “carrying the virus.”

The U.S. has endured various epidemics throughout its history such as the Spanish Flu, AIDS and Ebola. From its very beginning, though, the country has had an enduring epidemic of prejudice against the “other.”

It also doesn’t help when leadership exacerbates the prejudice such as President Donald Trump continually referring to the virus as the “Chinese virus.” Despite being reminded of why this is detrimental, Trump has gone as far as crossing out “corona” in his notes and replacing it with “Chinese.”

COVID-19 didn’t cause people to be ignorant and show prejudice against Asian Americans. Racists are opportunists. Their prejudice had been festering all along. Now, they have the opportunity to express it.

True Dabill can be reached at dabi7280@stthomas.edu.