Anti-Asian Racism in the Shadow of COVID-19 in the USA: Reported Incidents, Psychological Implications, and Coping Resources

Abstract

Racism, which has been a deeply rooted feature of so many human societies across the world for centuries, has become rampant in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past racism was thought to be as somehow “natural” or “biological.” Later on, sociologists recognized “race” as a socially and culturally constructed ideology, which exists in a society at both the individual and institutional levels. Further down the timeline, psychologists viewed racism as an individual or a collective psychological defensive mechanism generated by feelings of fear, insecurity, and anxiety in the face of imminent or presumed internal or external threat. No matter how it is described, racism has become rampant in the shadow of COVID-19, manifested in the incidents of racial slurs and verbal abuse, online bullying, physical attacks, vandalism, and others. It took the forms of white supremacy, xenophobia, Sinophobia, and institutional and aversive racism. It was institutionalized, politicized, and religionized. Given this increasing occurrence of racism triggered by COVID-19, this paper tried to trace the historical roots of racism, followed by the analysis of the specific incidents of anti-Asian racism and discrimination related to COVID-19 in the United States. This paper also sketched the psychological implications of racism and some coping mechanisms for the victims.

The negative health effects of anti-Asian stigma in the U.S. during COVID-19.

“…Edara (2020) reported that marginalized populations are often targeted for exclusion and violence during epidemic outbreaks. Edara’s study was both conceptual and included a content analysis of reports of harassment.…”

The Social Lives of Infectious Diseases: Why Culture Matters to COVID-19

“…East and Southeast Asian communities and individuals have been targeted globally with hate speech, including slurs, dehumanization, and slanderous, stereotyping comments about Chinese cuisine (Albader, 2020 ; Hu et al, 2020 ; Tahmasbi et al, 2021 ). Anti-Asian hate-crimes reports also spiked since the beginning of the pandemic in North America (Edara, 2020 ; Gover et al, 2020 ; Kotyk, 2020 ; Tessler et al, 2020 ; Tsai et al, 2020 ), Europe (Gao and Sai, 2020 ; Pellegrino, 2020 ; Velásquez et al, 2020 , preprint) and Australia (Furlong and Finnie, 2020 ). In India, people from northeastern states with more phenotypically East Asian features have been discriminated against and attacked (Haokip, 2020 ).…”

Beware Asian Servers: Racialized Perceptions of Cheating and Skill Among Video Game Players

“…It is important to keep in mind, given the timeframe, that Covid-19 illuminated many of the cultural embeddings against Asians and Asian-Americans that predate the pandemic. In the United States, there has been a history of hostility directed toward China and Chinese people in the context of epidemic events (Edara, 2020). This creates unique circumstances where anti-Chinese -and, as an extension, anti-Asian -perceptions and behaviors flared up among the public more generally in much less subtle and sometimes violent ways (Edara, 2020).…”

“…In the United States, there has been a history of hostility directed toward China and Chinese people in the context of epidemic events (Edara, 2020). This creates unique circumstances where anti-Chinese -and, as an extension, anti-Asian -perceptions and behaviors flared up among the public more generally in much less subtle and sometimes violent ways (Edara, 2020). These issues do not exist in a vacuum and racism is deeply ingrained in society, persisting subconsciously even underneath outwardly supportive attitudes (DeAngelis, 2009).…”