Introduction
In the last months of 2019, the world experienced a bad outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Scientists discovered the strain had a new mutation of the coronavirus (Weaver et al., 2020). Consequently, during the pandemic scourge, as fears regarding the virus continued to rise among American citizens, Asian Americans incidences were alarming on social media. According to the news coverage, there have been spiked attacks considered violent and of significant harassment amid the pandemic. Approximately there have been over 2,800 cases reported between February and November 2020 (Tessler et al., 2020). These cases mainly aimed at targeting the communities of Asian Americans, a situation referred to as xenophobia. The incidences are classified from verbal abuse to attacks perceived to be violent, leading to vandalization of booming businesses owned by Asian Americans (Weaver et al., 2020). This paper aims to discuss the impacts of news coverage on Asian American lives during the pandemic scourge. In addition, the paper will cover the impact of hostile attacks, language barriers, and the effects of President Donald Trump’s speech.
Discussion
The hostile attacks led to an adverse impact on social-economic status among Asian Americans, leading to low standards of living. The financial curve for business among the entrepreneurs has been on a dissociating curve over the pandemic period because of racial abuse. Consequently, due to the abuse majority of business sales have not been conducted as usual. In addition, businesses owned by Asian Americans lack a therapeutic foundation and enhanced relationships with financial institutions, such as credit unions (Weaver et al., 2020). Lack of good connections between financial institutions and Asian American entrepreneurs failed in protecting the paycheck and securing loans from lending institutions. As a result, increased loan interests have been subjected to Asian Americans.
Additionally, barriers in language have caused negative effects, such as obtaining aid relief from the U.S. government to run small businesses. Language translations for easier understanding and thriving local business are not provided (Weaver et al., 2020). The public may take a long time to engage in productive business transactions due to the fear that has been instilled among American citizens during the pandemic scourge.
Hate and attacks led to violent adventures despite the initial good relationships between Asian Americans and the public. The news covered hate scenes that were subjected to Asian Americans practicing small-scale businesses. The rage on social media, verbal attacks, and physical encounters are demonstrated in the course of the scourge (Tessler et al., 2020). The data provided cases of hate from the majority, accounting for 90 percent of total cases aired in the news coverage. The effects portrayed on the news coverage regarding hateful attacks have been uncomfortable and emotional to watch.
For instance, an Asian woman observing Covid protocols was physically ambushed by a gang of men was reported to have died in the tragic incident in February 2020. In the incident, a team of men is seen punching and using physical force in beating the woman (Tessler et al., 2020). Another incidence reported includes the man walking home and suddenly gets attacked and verbally abused to cause coronavirus and summon the man to get back to his native land. The other debilitating circumstance was when the man spat on the lady with Asian origin saliva and screaming in a loud voice for the lady to back to China. These incidences instilled fear amongst the Asian Americans lowering their self-esteem whenever they were seen.
President Donald Trump’s famous say of the ”Chinese virus” triggered the emotions of other citizens to feel that people of Asian origin spread the virus. Consequently, such statements lured people to engage in violent attacks. For instance, in Texas, a man killed an innocent family, thinking that the family is of Chinese origin and had the notion of contracting the virus. According to the news, coverage mortalities rose after the president made negative remarks about China. The Asian Americans faced racism and, at the same time, accused of indulging in terrorism, leading to a frequent police search. There was an increased risk of anxiety and tension among Asian Americans (Mallapragada, 2021). Additionally, Trump’s reaction to the coronavirus amplified many questions and doubts regarding the people of Asian origin.
Reports from the current survey conducted by the Center for disease control and prevention (CDC), nearly 30 percent of Americans blamed Asians for the coronavirus outbreak. The survey report further explained that the blame was due to the influence of news coverage that gave the Americans rage and reasons to believe so. Compared to the previous four years, the incidences of harassment increased twice, resulting in 60 percent of reported cases (Tessler et al., 2020).
Conclusion
Reported cases of xenophobia witnessed on news coverage have been sensitive and a matter of great concern amongst American citizens. The recent news coverage has negatively impacted Asian Americans, especially in the upsurge of Covid 19. There has been decreased social, economic status has been reported, and business entrepreneurs are adversely affected. In addition, president Trump’s remarks increased the emotions and influenced Americans negatively, causing incidences of xenophobia where Asian Americans were brutally and violently harassed, leading to the death of innocent souls. Therapeutic measures by the government should be put in place to aid the Americans in understanding matters regarding the negative impact caused by the Covid 19 crisis.
References
Mallapragada, M. (2021) ‘Asian Americans as racial contagion’, Cultural Studies, 35(2-3), pp.279-290. Web.
Tessler, H., Choi, M., and Kao, G. (2020) ‘The anxiety of being Asian American: Hate crimes and negative biases during the COVID-19 pandemic’, American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), pp.636-646.
Weaver, D. H., Willnat, L., & Wilhoit, G. C. (2019) ‘The American journalist in the digital age: Another look at US news people’, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 96(1), 101-130.