As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak beginning in the Wuhan district of china, china or Asia as a whole could be seen as a cause of the outbreak and subsequent spread of the virus.

China has become an easy scapegoat, especially after being criticized by President Donald Trump for their response to the virus.

Or, according to the ill-educated the real culprits are the Chinese people and their exotic culture and habits. Nigel Farage who served as Member of the European Parliament for South East England from 1999 until the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU in 2020. claims both that he held “no ill-will against the Chinese people”  and that the problem lay with “appalling hygiene conditions in Chinese wildlife markets” and the customary diet of bats and pangolins.

Whatever he meant by stating such a claim, we now see how criticism of the Chinese, and often all Asian people, has since translated into an upsurge of racist violence aimed at the Chinese and Asian diaspora living in the US, western Europe and Oceania.

Sadly the persecution made its way to our own hallways. Students of Asian descent said they have been the butt of many jokes and accusations, including one who was who was made fun of because their father traveled to China for a business trip, who heard awful things such as “he’s gonna bring it back,” and “he probably already gave it to [them].”

As the virus spreads, deaths rise, and cases fluctuate and plummet, people are becoming more knowledgeable and thinking twice before pointing fingers, especially with Trump’s address on Twitter last month, stating “It is very important that we protect our Asian American community in the United States and around the world. They are amazing people and the spreading of the virus is not their fault in any shape, way, or form. They are working with us to get rid of it together we will prevail!”