Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the recent reasons for increased Asian hate crimes. Asian American discrimination has already affected employment, provoked economic stress, and challenged cooperation. However, the history of Asian hate crimes could be traced long before the pandemic, when first Asians came to the United States and were ready to take jobs with below-market wages and unfavorable working conditions. The “Yellow Peril” symbolized the Western fear of uncivilized, still-competitive Asians (Gover et al., 2020). Support, regular reports, and new policies may predict the growth of Asian hate crimes. This review focuses on Asian hate and marginalization roots, the current social limitations and economic impacts, and the ideas of how to reduce the number of crimes and improve the status of American Asians. I want to discuss these issues as they are important for today’s Americans to improve their interpersonal relationships for the country’s good, avoiding racial prejudices and unfair treatment. Examining the historical roots of Asian marginalization positively affects the economic status of American Asians.
Social Constructionism and Asian Hate Crimes
Racial violence is a burning social topic for the citizens of the United States. Although the inequality of Asian Americans is not as evident and predictable as one of African Americans, the necessity to stop Asian Hate remains a serious slogan for multiple protests. In American media sources, much attention is paid to anti-racial movements and the importance of recognizing the rights of black Americans and predicting unreasonable shootings and arrests based on skin color (Greenblatt, 2020). However, many Asian Americans become the targets of racial discrimination, affecting interpersonal relationships and economic calculus (Kang, 1993). According to the Pew Research Center (as cited in Nodell, 2021), 31% of Asian Americans have become victims of racist jokes, and 26% have feared physical or verbal attacks during the last year. Asian hate crimes are based on racial prejudice against Asian Americans and significantly impact victims.
Following the principles of social constructionism, individuals develop and exchange knowledge about the world through a social context. People use words to define their interests by the second principle, but tools may differ, creating a new world. Words are variable, and there are no right or wrong words, just different uses. Thus, nothing can be true, depending on the community, and humans are the products of their concepts and practices. At the same time, they are responsible for making social facts real or not. In other words, people live in a society that they create and where they become dependent on the context. Therefore, Asian hate is not a reason for crimes but an outcome of human attitudes.
The spread of COVID-19 is often used as an excuse to hate Asians and their racial origins. More than eight million Americans have been diagnosed with the virus, and more than 200,000 individuals have died in the country (Greenblatt, 2020). White and black Americans began demonstrating aggression toward Asians, kicking them in the back and ordering them to leave the country. Such crimes are based on personal attitudes or social neglect, showing that Asians are not welcomed in the United States in the post-pandemic era. In my opinion, it is useless and even dangerous to neglect Asian hate crimes because such attitudes distort reality and make us vulnerable to personal biases. The words we choose determine our behaviors and actions, and poor control or neglect never solves problems but strengthens tensions.
Marginalization Toward Asians
Social marginalization is one of the unpleasant trends in American society, and if a person is not white or does not speak English well, social exclusion is an expected outcome. Although Asian American marginalization has recently been urged because of the pandemic impact, Kang (1993) discussed the inequality of human relationships several decades ago. He admitted that the number of Asian Americans who suffered from hate crimes was hard to establish because not each violent episode was properly reported (Kang, 1993). People of Asian descent became a fast-growing segment of the American population, and the number of crimes and racial biases increased.
In the 19th century, many Asians came to the United States to find better employment conditions and additional financial resources. In a short period, the marginalization of Asian populations began because some politicians and local business owners believed that immigrants stole jobs from “real” Americans (Kang, 1993). Being physically unaggressive due to their weight, height, and similar physiological characteristics, Asian Americans did not call attention to themselves but remained unfair competitors and foreigners with no obvious cultural signs. These individuals were defined as fungible, which diminished respect, dignity, and self-perception (Kang, 1993). The marginalization was taken for granted, increasing the number of limitations and economic concerns. I have never considered how dependent humans can be on their history, disregarding current achievements and discovering benefits from Asian-American cooperation.
Limitations Imposed on Asians
The history of anti-Asian racism explains the limitations under which modern Asian Americans should live. Asians were called a “yellow peril,” meaning unclean or unfit for U.S. citizenship, which resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibiting immigration (De Leon, 2020). In the first half of the 20th century, people of Asian descent were incarcerated as political enemies, and even second-generation Americans were arrested and checked for loyalty. During World War II, the concept of the model minority was introduced to define more or less appropriate immigrants in the United States from an economic perspective (De Leon, 2020; Kang, 1993). Asians became the model minority, standing beneath whites but above other racial minorities.
Limitations continued to decrease with time, and modern Asians knew that not all signs of discrimination were removed. For example, finding educational brochures and posters published in the Asian language creates communication difficulties, and Asians do not feel safe when they address for help (Nodell, 2021). Despite the evident academic or professional success, Asian Americans cannot get the same opportunities as “real” Americans. Some people do not want to know the history of an Asian individual but consider a foreigner who invades someone’s space. I think “real” is a wrong and inappropriate differentiation for modern Americans because the greatness of this country should impose such prejudiced and old-fashioned attributes.
Economic Impact
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders introduce a fast-growing minority group in the United States. During the last decade, their population has grown by 25%, and about 5-6% of the U.S. population is Asian and Pacific Islanders now (Economic contributions, 2021). They account for about 7-8% of federal income tax ($167.9 billion) and 7% of all household income earned ($543.4 billion) (Economic contributions, 2021). This money regularly supports different business areas locally and internationally. However, Asian immigrants cannot achieve high incomes and suffer from inequality among other minority groups.
Asian Americans should take care of their health and predict the pandemic impact. Social isolation and distancing are the major recommendations to be followed, regardless of race or ethnicity (De Leon, 2020). Many Asians have already lost their jobs and should consider other options to earn a living. They cannot neglect their health needs and obligations within their communities. Healthcare providers improved their services to ensure Asian Americans were protected and not subjected to personal stigmatization. Thus, additional financial resources had to be found to support the healthcare system and the Asians in it. I believe that the strengths of the American economy allow the country to respect and support all citizens, and current policies might remove some Asian fears.
Recent Impact on Asian Hate
The pandemic has tremendously affected the United States and its diverse populations. In addition to health challenges, the economic devastation becomes more evident and includes trillions of dollars (Greenblatt, 2020). Asian American people lost their opportunities to make payments and cover their needs and faced an increase in Asian Hate crimes since the pandemic began. When Donald Trump called COVID-19 the “Chinese virus,” he introduced more biased reasons to strengthen the aggression against this minority group (De Leon, 2020). This recent impact on Asian Hate has divided people into those who believe in the Chinese threat to American health and those who try to recognize the true reasons for the pandemic.
However, American fear of foreigners began far before the pandemic, when new people came to the country and took their jobs, accepting low wages and poor working conditions. Such concepts as “othering” and “xenophobia” gained more powerful meanings in U.S. society (Gover et al., 2020). Asian immigration was a solid background for developing new stereotypes in the American economy: the question of civic belonging emerged quickly. Cheap labor and high-performance results were positively accepted by native employers and contributed to economic well-being. Still, white Americans did not want to give up and addressed their social instability and national threats to hide their true fears of losing jobs or salary changes. When the Covid shut down most global economic opportunities, fears of Asians had resurgence, strengthening racism and creating national insecurity (Gover et al., 2020). Americans and the representatives of other nations faced new fears and anxiety about the inability to resist Asian economic power globally.
Asian Hate and Economic Status
One of the major explanations for increased Asian hate is its geographical origin. Wuhan City was the first place where SARS-Cov-2 emerged in bats. Asian Hate grew quickly because of the spread of the virus across the globe. Many Asians initiated movements to prove that their ethnicity is not a virus and it is important to rely on facts, not racial prejudice (De Leon, 2020). However, political and economic decisions were hard to control: trade restrictions, isolation of the region, and household problems. Not all Americans were ready to cooperate with Asians, rent their houses, and exchange goods and services. Besides, old fears of Asian and negative memories about lost jobs, poor social well-being, and wrong judgments of civic engagement emerged (Gover et al., 2020). It seems that Americans wanted to take revenge on Asians and remind them about social and economic depts to the country. A serious decline in employment and economic status was observed in Asian communities, provoking further education, health care, and wealth challenges. My observations prove that many young Asians might contribute to our country’s progress, and it is irrational to waste such human resources.
Possible Changes
COVID-19 has already driven racism against Asian Americans and motivated other ethnic groups to demonstrate violence. The pandemic has changed the quality of life and employment conditions for all individuals in many regions. Therefore, changes toward Asian Hate crimes have to be promoted to control prejudiced panic and manage poor knowledge that negatively affects interpersonal and economic relationships. Asian Americans, as well as other citizens of the United States, have their obligations and financial responsibilities. I believe their contributions to the country’s growth, trade affairs, technological advancement, and medicine are critical. American history, including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Jewish xenophobia, and the present time when representatives of different ethnic groups live together, shows that racial discrimination may be reduced (Greenblatt, 2020). I realize that when people learn more about COVID-19, follow professional recommendations, and minimize racial marginalization; they will use human resources rationally to gain economic benefits.
Importance of Understanding Asian Hate Crime
There are many reasons why Asian Hate crimes discussions have to be continued. Although discrimination against black populations has been a burning topic in the United States for a long period, the COVID-19 gave rise to racially biased prejudice and judgment of Asian Americans (Gover et al., 2020; Greenblatt, 2020). Today, it is important to understand that Asian Hate crimes should not be based on the coronavirus impact, and addressing the history of Asian-American relationships will reveal the necessary information. People are obsessed with finding a true source of the pandemic in the modern world, so they do not realize how wrong their attitudes can be. I want to develop new projects to demonstrate that racial differences only prevent but never support social growth and the country’s greatness.
Conclusion
The connection between racial, cultural, and economic factors defines today’s society from various aspects. People want to gain as many benefits as possible, using available resources and knowledge. However, despite the current opportunities, most individuals are short-minded and dependent on public opinions instead of chasing the truth themselves. The example of how Asian Hate crimes began to grow after the COVID-19 outbreak shows that humans are exposed to outside manipulation and neglect the nearby facts. It is important to understand that blaming the whole nation for killing the virus is the easiest step. Thus, we should understand the history of racial marginalization, Asian immigration, and economic contributions as complex tasks.
References
De Leon, A. (2020). The long history of U.S. racism against Asian Americans, from ‘yellow peril’ to ‘model minority’ to the ‘Chinese virus.’ The Conversation.
Economic contributions and growth of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. (2021). New American Economy Research Fund.
Gover, A. R., Harper, S. B., & Langton, L. (2020). Anti-Asian hate crime during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the reproduction of inequality. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), 647-667.
Greenblatt, J. A. (2020). Fighting hate in the era of coronavirus. Horizons: Journal of International Relations and Sustainable Development, (17), 208-221.
Kang, J. (1993). Racial violence against Asian Americans. Harvard Law Review, 106(8), 1926-1943.
Nodell, B. (2021). The Resident’s NEJM essay discusses combating anti-Asian hate. U.W. Medicine.