When COVID-19 made its first appearance, many conspiracy theories also appeared with it. Regardless of the legitimacy of the theories, the reports of racism, discrimination and violence against Asians have been increasing.
In the USA, reports of hate crimes against Asians average 100 cases per day. Asian Americans have had to endure increased levels of discrimination and extreme physical distancing and humiliation and social media are fueling the fire.
How the numbers have changed post-covid
Asian Americans have always been subject to some form of discrimination, but after the virus started to make its way across the globe, reports of racism and discrimination have increased. Eight in ten Asian Americans say that violence against them has increased since the outbreaks.
Police brutality lawyers have never been busier as incidents against minority groups have increased with the pandemic. Not only are African American groups affected, but the Asians in America have also started to experience the bias of the police force. Thankfully, the victims can find some of the best lawyers to fight for them at USAttorneys.
Exaggerated social distancing
Among the more serious cases of abuse against Asians, there are also lesser forms of discrimination. There have been increasing reports where Asians maintain that people keep a greater distance from them. This makes them feel unwanted and foreign in their own country.
Even though many Asians were born in the states, they are suddenly treated as outlanders. The effect is devastating on the morale of the Asian people of the States who have nothing to do with the spread of the virus. Apart from the exaggerated social distancing, more Asians have also reported being subject o racial slurs and jokes.
The current rhetoric was foretold
At the start of the outbreak in 2020, the FBI issued a warning and expected that hate crimes against Asian Americans would increase. The United Nations echoed the sentiment of the FBI late last year and said that hate crimes against Asians had increased on a global scale.
In the US, the rhetoric played out as foretold and President Joe Biden was forced to sign a new law that would aid the fight against Asian hate crimes. Ironically, former President Donald Trump has been cited as being a catalyst for the hate crimes as he was very vocal about his stance, often calling the virus the “Kung Flu” and the “China virus.”
Asians not being counted
Although the Asian population had been the fastest-growing population group in the US, as a population group, they had largely been ignored in the past. This sentiment has led to the hate crimes against Asians not being reported as minority hate crimes.
The number of hate crimes has been on the rise by as much as 169% since the outbreak, but these numbers are likely higher than the statistics would reflect. The media does not cover Asian stories as well as other minority groups, nor are their concerns polled by political parties. The Asian population group is heavily underrepresented as many federal agencies still do not even include Asian Americans in their definitions of racial minorities.
After a year
It has been a year since the initial outbreak and things do not look much better for the Asian American community. Racial prejudice is fueled by poor coping mechanisms and social media. Historically, this has happened several times.
People find themselves in a position where they want to lay blame on someone and find a singular group of outsiders who can take the fall. In this case, the Asian community took the fall and has been paying for it ever since.