A shocking video of an Asian man being pushed quickly went viral. The video showed a 91-year old Asian man walking in Oakland’s Chinatown when suddenly an individual with a black hoodie senselessly pushed him to the ground. The act of cruelty caught the attention of many news outlets and quickly spread to social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitter.
At first glance, this seems to like a video of a cruel man with no respect for elderly people. However, when inspected further, it can be observed that violence and microaggressions towards Asian Americans have been escalating since the start of the pandemic.
This series of incidents started to increase when rumors spread about the origin of the virus. Misinformation began to circle about the virus being caused by Asian people eating wild animals such as bats. Many white Americans started to blame Asians for the circulation of the virus. It did not help that former President Trump referred to the virus as the “Chinese virus” during a press conference. The rumor is extremely racist and also lumps all Asian people together.
It is extremely absurd and harmful to blame an entire pandemic on one race. But the issue goes beyond the pandemic. Systematic and structural factors in America have long worked to enable racist and discriminatory actions against Asian communities. Xenophobia, fear or hatred of those perceived as “foreign” or “strange,” is one such factor that impacts marginalized groups. It is alarmingly present today and has enabled the violence of white supremacy. We live in a society that scapegoats and others minorities in order to put white folks on a privileged pedestal.
As a result of this misinformation, the Asian community has continuously experienced incidents like the one in the video. One extreme incident occurred in Midland, Texas on March 14 of last year where “three Asian American family members, including a 2-year-old and 6-year-old, were stabbed.” The suspect confessed to the authorities that he thought the family was spreading the virus to people in America because of their race.
Another incident similar to the one in the viral video occurred on Jan. 28. A man named Vicha Ratanapakdee was violently pushed to the ground while he was on one of his morning walks. He died days later, and his assaulter is currently awaiting trial.
Other members of the Asian community have shared similar incidents that they have experienced. Danny Satow was walking along the streets of Federal Way, a suburb of Seattle when racial slurs and water were hurled at her by a passing car. Instances of anti-Asian racism have become very common and these are only a few examples.
Celebrities such as Daniel Wu and actor Daniel Dae Kim spoke out on Twitter about the viral video and the increase in hate crimes towards the Asian community. They even set a $25,000 reward to catch the assaulter. Actions like these are what America needs to end hate crimes against Asian people. In order to make a greater change that will prevent discrimination against the Asian community, white folks must first be aware that the issue exists.
The ignorance surrounding the pandemic has major consequences and leads to the widespread prevalence of misinformation. We should counter this by participating in the spread of correct information. But we should also be having conversations about the indirect effects COVID-19 has on marginalized groups. This can be accomplished by supporting organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign and Asian Americans Advancing Justice. These organizations support the Asian community’s fight against xenophobia, as well as provide resources with accurate information about the COVID-19 virus.
In addition, holding our government accountable for prosecuting people involved in hate crimes is important. Currently, there is not enough enforcement of hate crime laws. Pushing for larger consequences of hate crimes can help decrease the number of incidents.
Acts of discrimination against the Asian community have increased and should not be tolerated. We need to speak up and hold these perpetrators accountable for such horrific incidents. The only way to overcome the continuous pattern of discrimination is to acknowledge its existence in the first place. We need to stand up for targeted groups rather than turning a blind eye. Spreading awareness of these hate crimes and ending the distribution of misinformation are essential ways to end the brutal violence against Asians, but these steps are only the beginning.
