The Pandemic. Racism & Prejudice

[Spike]

I'm sure a lot of you have read about some sad scenes occuring across the globe in our western countries. Racism acts, verbal and physical against people of east and south-east asian heritage. It's an absolute mental thing to see, people I know indulging in this hateful rhetoric whether they realise it or not. Reports out of Oz spin stories of racial statements spraypainted on public property, people being spat at, verbal abuse, but thankfully nothing resembling an ol' fashioned American lynching. It isn't even limited to those of the Orient, stories I've heard detial hospital workers suffering exactly the same.

As a bloke married to a woman that you could consider of the Orient, I can't help but it take it a little personal. What have these people come to? Was the hatred already there, or is it borne of fear?

Absolutely mental, I don't have much of a soapbox to stand on but I reckon out of all the platforms I use, at least you lot would understand.

[Stan]

11 minutes ago, Spike said:

I'm sure a lot of you have read about some sad scenes occuring across the globe in our western countries. Racism acts, verbal and physical against people of east and south-east asian heritage. It's an absolute mental thing to see, people I know indulging in this hateful rhetoric whether they realise it or not. Reports out of Oz spin stories of racial statements spraypainted on public property, people being spat at, verbal abuse, but thankfully nothing resembling an ol' fashioned American lynching. It isn't even limited to those of the Orient, stories I've heard detial hospital workers suffering exactly the same.

As a bloke married to a woman that you could consider of the Orient, I can't help but it take it a little personal. What have these people come to? Was the hatred already there, or is it borne of fear?

Absolutely mental, I don't have much of a soapbox to stand on but I reckon out of all the platforms I use, at least you lot would understand.

I would say so, yes.

The pandemic seems to give them an 'excuse', in their eyes, to vent this racial hatred, be it in person or online.

It's utterly bizarre and I can't make too much sense of it myself. You have innocent people being targeted purely because of the way they look or where someone might think they come from (I've heard stories of Koreans being attacked/harassed) just because they look Chinese. 

[Spike]

2 minutes ago, Stan said:

I would say so, yes.

The pandemic seems to give them an 'excuse', in their eyes, to vent this racial hatred, be it in person or online.

It's utterly bizarre and I can't make too much sense of it myself. You have innocent people being targeted purely because of the way they look or where someone might think they come from (I've heard stories of Koreans being attacked/harassed) just because they look Chinese. 

My missus just told me the majority if attacks aren’t against Chinese ethnics. Age old ‘arr rook same’. 

[Smiley Culture]

I imagine there probably has been a spike in attacks on South East Asians, regardless of their actual nationality, in the same way post-terrorist attack, attacks on people from that part of Asia spikes too. 

The racism is probably bubbling under the surface and it takes stuff like this for attacks to materialise. 

[Azeem]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

I'm sure a lot of you have read about some sad scenes occuring across the globe in our western countries.

Not just western countries, in Middle East it's being used to target Iran for spreading it, people are using it as a scapegoat to target different beliefs, races around the world.

[RandoEFC+]

People being stupid enough to think that 5G is causing coronavirus makes it, sadly, look sensible by comparison to blame Chinese people for it. Obviously, it's still stupid, and totally unacceptable, but one thing it isn't is surprising.

Also, yes, there's definitely an underlying racism factor here as well, not only against Oriental people but just a "fear of the other". So much Western media now subtly (sometimes not so subtly) stokes these fires now, it seems almost impossible for it ever to be eradicated. 

[Mel81x+]

2 hours ago, Spike said:

Absolutely mental, I don't have much of a soapbox to stand on but I reckon out of all the platforms I use, at least you lot would understand.

I think people have always used large-scale incidents to isolate people/cultures they aren't entirely comfortable with. It's also a problem that has gained immense velocity with the internet and being able to find more people who support the same nonsensical cause as well through social media or discussion groups so you add that kind of confidence booster to a person's already predisposed intentions towards a culture and then you get outblown racism because they think its okay I know there are more people who support the idea.

I read a story today where someone told an elderly lady (in her 60s) not to stand in a senior citizens queue until she pointed out that she was 60+ and then she got racially abused for being East-Asian. Weird how things just happen but its been going on for a long time now and the internet has just made it spread faster and become more acceptable (not that it should be but we have no control on this).

[Danny]

Different countries will all have their own forms of bigotry but this will always happen in countries built and still operating on white supremacy, impossible to change without generations of systematic change in place.

Hope your missus is safe mate

[IgnisExcubitor]

8 hours ago, Spike said:

I'm sure a lot of you have read about some sad scenes occuring across the globe in our western countries. Racism acts, verbal and physical against people of east and south-east asian heritage. It's an absolute mental thing to see, people I know indulging in this hateful rhetoric whether they realise it or not. Reports out of Oz spin stories of racial statements spraypainted on public property, people being spat at, verbal abuse, but thankfully nothing resembling an ol' fashioned American lynching. It isn't even limited to those of the Orient, stories I've heard detial hospital workers suffering exactly the same.

As a bloke married to a woman that you could consider of the Orient, I can't help but it take it a little personal. What have these people come to? Was the hatred already there, or is it borne of fear?

Absolutely mental, I don't have much of a soapbox to stand on but I reckon out of all the platforms I use, at least you lot would understand.

Massive here in Asia and Middle East.

In fact, even our North East Indians are discriminated against because physically they have more in common with East Asian people. And again it's not black and white. Up in North East India brown looking Indians are discriminated against.

[Cicero]

That’s some 1939-45 bigotry thinking here. 

[Spike]

7 hours ago, Azeem said:

Not just western countries, in Middle East it's being used to target Iran for spreading it, people are using it as a scapegoat to target different beliefs, races around the world.

 

2 minutes ago, IgnisExcubitor said:

Massive here in Asia and Middle East.

In fact, even our North East Indians are discriminated against because physically they have more in common with East Asian people. And again it's not black and white. Up in North East India brown looking Indians are discriminated against.

Gentlemen, I do not know if it comforting or disconcerting that it rings true in your communities as well.

5 hours ago, Danny said:

Different countries will all have their own forms of bigotry but this will always happen in countries built and still operating on white supremacy, impossible to change without generations of systematic change in place.

Hope your missus is safe mate

I was merely using the west as a framework of my experiences, as far as I know they (the west) are the countries most often immigrated to, ergo liklier to have racial incidents due to the hodge-podge of conflicting cultures; as opposed to largely homogenous nations like Japan or Italy. It looks like it isn't a 'white supremacy' issue at all, but a supremacy issue in general. It is disengenuous quite racist ourselves that you and I have (and will continue to) assume that the indicedents that have taken place in our respective nations and their brothers have been perpetrated by those of European decent. No source I've read so far has disclosed the ethnicity of the attackers, only the recipients.Given the nature of our diverse nations, Danny it is quite likely and not surprising that the perpetrators could have been a race other than the white majority; as anyone is capable of racial hatred and misgivings. If you were to play the numbers for Australia given the % of the demographics, it'd be more than likely a white racist, but nothing stops people of the Arabian peninsula, the Levant, Indian subcontinent, or Africa having their own racial prejudices; and it really isn't something people examine or take seriously. 

The only thing we know is that people are being abused, we know why, but not whom.

[nudge+]

Just now, Spike said:

Gentlemen, I do not know if it comforting or disconcerting that it rings true in your communities as well.

I was merely using the west as a framework of my experiences, as far as I know they (the west) are the countries most often immigrated to, ergo liklier to have racial incidents due to the hodge-podge of conflicting cultures; as opposed to largely homogenous nations like Japan or Italy. It looks like it isn't a 'white supremacy' issue at all, but a supremacy issue in general. It is disengenuous quite racist ourselves that you and I have (and will continue to) assume that the indicedents that have taken place in our respective nations and their brothers have been perpetrated by those of European decent. No source I've read so far has disclosed the ethnicity of the attackers, only the recipients.Given the nature of our diverse nations, Danny it is quite likely and not surprising that the perpetrators could have been a race other than the white majority; as anyone is capable of racial hatred and misgivings. If you were to play the numbers for Australia given the % of the demographics, it'd be more than likely a white racist, but nothing stops people of the Arabian peninsula, the Levant, Indian subcontinent, or Africa having their own racial prejudices; and it really isn't something people examine or take seriously. 

The only thing we know is that people are being abused, we know why, but not whom.

It's definitely not a 'white supremacy' issue at all. Westerners are similarly experiencing hostility in Southeast Asian countries now as the locals tend to believe that they are responsible for bringing the virus into their country from abroad as well as guilty of not taking precautions (e.g. wearing masks) or even straight out ignoring curfews and lockdowns. Times of crisis like these always bring out the worst in people, especially by bringing the old good "us against them" mentality forward. 

[IgnisExcubitor]

12 minutes ago, Spike said:

 

Gentlemen, I do not know if it comforting or disconcerting that it rings true in your communities as well.

I was merely using the west as a framework of my experiences, as far as I know they (the west) are the countries most often immigrated to, ergo liklier to have racial incidents due to the hodge-podge of conflicting cultures; as opposed to largely homogenous nations like Japan or Italy. It looks like it isn't a 'white supremacy' issue at all, but a supremacy issue in general. It is disengenuous quite racist ourselves that you and I have (and will continue to) assume that the indicedents that have taken place in our respective nations and their brothers have been perpetrated by those of European decent. No source I've read so far has disclosed the ethnicity of the attackers, only the recipients.Given the nature of our diverse nations, Danny it is quite likely and not surprising that the perpetrators could have been a race other than the white majority; as anyone is capable of racial hatred and misgivings. If you were to play the numbers for Australia given the % of the demographics, it'd be more than likely a white racist, but nothing stops people of the Arabian peninsula, the Levant, Indian subcontinent, or Africa having their own racial prejudices; and it really isn't something people examine or take seriously. 

The only thing we know is that people are being abused, we know why, but not whom.

You are right there.

The only reason we hear about racism in Western countries so openly, is because they (or rather most of them) are openly talking and admitting it. That discussion is now mainstream in the west. 

In Asia, Africa or Middle East we don't really have that discussion openly. In fact most even won't admit to being racist, and instead state that we are great hosts to everyone instead. Fortunately, that is changing. More and more people are recognising that there is a problem.

Doubt whether that will solve the problem of racism though.

[Dr. Gonzo]

53 minutes ago, nudge said:

Times of crisis like these always bring out the worst in people, especially by bringing the old good "us against them" mentality forward. 

I think this is very true. And we're in the social media age, so people can spread that sentiment like wildfire if they get the message to the right accounts.

So I think it's people in a crisis who are panicked and want someone to blame - so they blame "the others" who "are responsible" - personally I've been blaming people as well... but I think this is a failing of various world governments that's let it get to this stage. So the people I'm blaming are the leaders of countries around the world, which I think is more reasonable than just picking a race to blame.

[Danny]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

 

Gentlemen, I do not know if it comforting or disconcerting that it rings true in your communities as well.

I was merely using the west as a framework of my experiences, as far as I know they (the west) are the countries most often immigrated to, ergo liklier to have racial incidents due to the hodge-podge of conflicting cultures; as opposed to largely homogenous nations like Japan or Italy. It looks like it isn't a 'white supremacy' issue at all, but a supremacy issue in general. It is disengenuous quite racist ourselves that you and I have (and will continue to) assume that the indicedents that have taken place in our respective nations and their brothers have been perpetrated by those of European decent. No source I've read so far has disclosed the ethnicity of the attackers, only the recipients.Given the nature of our diverse nations, Danny it is quite likely and not surprising that the perpetrators could have been a race other than the white majority; as anyone is capable of racial hatred and misgivings. If you were to play the numbers for Australia given the % of the demographics, it'd be more than likely a white racist, but nothing stops people of the Arabian peninsula, the Levant, Indian subcontinent, or Africa having their own racial prejudices; and it really isn't something people examine or take seriously. 

The only thing we know is that people are being abused, we know why, but not whom.

You can contribute towards white supremacy without being white, but I didn’t mean to turn this into a heavy discussion and have no energy for that atm.

[Mel81x+]

38 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think this is very true. And we're in the social media age, so people can spread that sentiment like wildfire if they get the message to the right accounts.

So I think it's people in a crisis who are panicked and want someone to blame - so they blame "the others" who "are responsible" - personally I've been blaming people as well... but I think this is a failing of various world governments that's let it get to this stage. So the people I'm blaming are the leaders of countries around the world, which I think is more reasonable than just picking a race to blame.

I think blaming a country for its failure to curtail and report serious problems to the worldwide audience isn't racism. What is racist, however, is taking everyone living there and abusing them in your area just because they are from there. People are people at the end of the day and I think, personally, we all come with a bit of prejudice programmed into our core. What you do with that prejudice and how you decide to handle the situation ultimately leads to the naming of your act as racist or not but in my recent experience it seems like all this information we have access to is doing more damage than good.

It's also odd how people laugh at jokes that are aimed with a racist connotation and shrug it off saying "oh it was a joke" only to then go and say similar things just because you're protected by millions of bytes and have access to a keyboard. Doesn't make it less racist or less impacting on the person its being said to. 

[Azeem]

The most dangerous thing about fueling ' us vs them ' is that the people who propagate this sentiment become hostage by it like Trump has now to keep on with the ' Chinese virus ' even if he doesn't want to cause his base like him for that.

It just keeps on fueling until people calm down themselves, which happens only after a tragedy.

[SchalkeUK]

What worries me at the moment is the comments from DT that the 'African Americans'  are at greater risk because of their lifestyle and they are fat and etc etc which he keeps coming out with and saying that the next batch of admissions to NY Hospitals will mainly be from that community - if that isn't assisting the Southern State Ultras I am not sure what is!

[Fairy In Boots]

2 hours ago, nudge said:

It's definitely not a 'white supremacy' issue at all. Westerners are similarly experiencing hostility in Southeast Asian countries now as the locals tend to believe that they are responsible for bringing the virus into their country from abroad as well as guilty of not taking precautions (e.g. wearing masks) or even straight out ignoring curfews and lockdowns. Times of crisis like these always bring out the worst in people, especially by bringing the old good "us against them" mentality forward. 

There’s a viral video of what looks a Tamil ethnicity guy physically kicking a Chinese lady out of his shop in London.

I do find “the racism was already there”, “white people are evil” thing tedious. Mainly because it’s a racist opinion on its own. 
 

17 minutes ago, SchalkeUK said:

What worries me at the moment is the comments from DT that the 'African Americans'  are at greater risk because of their lifestyle and they are fat and etc etc which he keeps coming out with and saying that the next batch of admissions to NY Hospitals will mainly be from that community - if that isn't assisting the Southern State Ultras I am not sure what is!

Actually it’s true to say ethnic groups are being hit harder. Socioeconomic factors, diet, lifestyle etc are all resulting in underlying health issues so they’re more at risk.  It’s seems they’ve suffering higher percentages of fatalities in relation to their % of the population 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/critically-ill-covid-19-uk-patients-bme-backgrounds-200407143303604.html

[SchalkeUK]

Accept that as a fact, but putting it at the forefront of his daily diatribe and stressing the possibilities of increasing the pressure on the Health Services is hardly helping good race relations during this awful time!

[Stan]

8 minutes ago, Fairy In Boots said:

I do find “the racism was already there”, “white people are evil” thing tedious. Mainly because it’s a racist opinion on its own. 

Erm, how?

[Fairy In Boots]

11 minutes ago, SchalkeUK said:

Accept that as a fact, but putting it at the forefront of his daily diatribe and stressing the possibilities of increasing the pressure on the Health Services is hardly helping good race relations during this awful time!

I don’t know enough about America but it could be to shock them into compliance, I did see some rumblings about black people believing they were immune to it. I know CNN did a piece today or yesterday saying “black America needs to wake up to the threat” I think it’s still deep mistrust of the federal government in some parts

[SchalkeUK]

Que Sera, Sera

[Danny]

Black, stood next to a nice car, must be a drug dealer

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/16/london-police-accused-of-racial-profiling-in-coronavirus-lockdown-searches

[Harry]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/612106/

Mortality rate for Covid in the USA is 19 times higher for black Americans than white Americans.