“Kung Flu”
By: Serene Hwang
“Kung Flu”. “China Virus”. These are just two of the countless racially degrading terms used to refer to SARS-Cov-2, or the novel coronavirus. From President Trump to numerous news articles, both politicians and mainstream media alike have contributed to the widespread use of such scientifically incorrect and racially charged nomenclature. Many may ponder the same question: since the virus has origins in Wuhan, China, would not the terms be accurate? However, science has proved the assumptions inapt in recent months. Moreover, the morally incorrect aspect utterly outweighs the scientific in this debate. I believe it to be critical that both are addressed in the proper manner.
The first recorded outbreak of SARS-Cov-2 was recorded in Wuhan, China. The epidemic then quickly grew into a global pandemic as the virus was spread overseas into foreign countries through planes, ships, and other forms of travel. Due to the initial outbreak in China, most people believed that the virus originated from China as well. However, skeptical scientists were not as quick to jump to such conclusions. After months of intensive research, science has found no sound evidence of the virus’s nativity in the country of China. Numerous articles, such as "Inside the Global Quest to Trace the Origins of COVID-19—and Predict Where It Will Go Next" by Charlie Campbell/Yuxi, Yunnan And Alice Park, note that SARS-Cov-2 cannot be confirmed to have originated specifically from China. Furthermore, traces of the coronavirus have been found in other countries as well, leading scientists to an unconfirmed place of origin. Until studies prove that China was indeed the birthplace of the novel coronavirus, it will be factually erroneous to refer to the disease as “the China Virus”.
How exactly can some nicknames be morally incorrect? By naming the virus “Kung Flu”, the blame for the pandemic is subsequently placed on the Chinese and, in the larger scope, the rest of the Asian population. Inaccurate misnomers have significantly fueled racism towards the Asian community. This was undeniable when hate crimes against Asians spiked in early 2020, when the pandemic first began to spread outside of China. The first SARS-Cov-2 epidemic took place in China. Why must American citizens suffer from the blame simply due to their ethnicity? Perhaps, the U.S. does not view Asian Americans as “true Americans” after all. We are called racial slurs and told to “go back home”. We are beaten in the streets and given no chance for justice. The media may have found a catchy new title for their news articles, but Asian Americans are slowly murdered by their ignorance, suffocating under heaves of newspaper.
The obvious damage towards Asian Americans has been done and it is not possible to reverse it. However, our country can take steps to stop the spread of racism and slowly heal the connections between its citizens. This begins by changing our vocabulary to omit racially derogatory terms, such as “Kung Flu” and “China Virus”. Our country can catalyze change and the sooner it happens, the sooner we will truly achieve freedom.