The Americanness of the Anti-Asian Violence

Donald Trump has inflamed and brought to the surface sentiments of xenophobia, particularly and most relevantly towards Asian Americans in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. For the purpose of furthering his own political gain, Trump exploited pre-existing and easily manipulated right-wing racism by vilifying China, even Asia as a whole. This deeply ingrained racial prejudice against the backdrop of a destructive pandemic that originated in China has manifested itself in a blatant pattern of anti-Asian violence.

Besides the fact that antagonizing the country in which the pandemic developed is a useless game of scapegoating that will never achieve an end, this pervasive mindset creates a breeding ground for bigotry. The pandemic’s destructiveness is a weak and spent justification for racism. A global issue that has no regard for racial or political borders is not to be distorted into a tool to further and act upon racist prejudices. The pandemic instead requires and should then encourage global cohesiveness.

Reality, however, is far from this ideal expectation. Elderly Asian Americans have become a common target for racially-motivated violence and Atlanta’s recent mass shooting killed eight Asian Americans, highlighting just how rampant and murderous the extent of Coronavirus-fueled racism is. Aaron Long, the perpetrator of the Atlanta shooting, has been granted the excuse of having “a bad day.” But no, a mood does not in any way or to any extent lift his wrongdoings, it is just another manner in which Americans desperately seek to protect white men while dismissing racist violence as something that just happens.

It is impossible to ignore to context in which this act of violence occurred. Long is a white man who has lived in 21st Century America for his entire life. He has cultivated his worldviews in a country that has a rich history of systemic racism towards Asians and even more recent voices that have devised and echoed terms such as the “Kung Flu.” Of course the atrocity of Long’s actions is a product of his own inexcusable bigotry, but it is also bigotry that is extensively politically and socially manufactured.

With the distribution of vaccines, we are beginning to see the end of the pandemic on the horizon, but residual racism will linger. It is in fact an unerasable and characterizing feature of America, both historically and currently. Moving forward, it is key to acknowledge American values - those of equality and justice. These ideals, rather than fear, are ones that should be fostered in American society.