Stop Calling it the Wuhan Virus!
Coronavirus has caused a resurgence of yellow peril in America.
Photo illustration by Ally Hart
Asian American communities across the country are facing increased prejudice and even violence in the wake of the COVID-19, aka coronavirus, outbreak. While this xenophobia is presenting itself in a multitude of ways nationwide, students at the University of California, Los Angeles are watching in real-time as the underlying racism of one of their tenured professors comes to light.
A Department Head in UCLA’s Computer Science Department is being called out for racist terminology in relation to the coronavirus on a department-wide email thread. The online discussion began when a student responded to an email from another professor, asking that they refrain from continuing to use the phrase “Wuhan virus”.
While the original sender did not respond to the request, the Department Head did. Despite the student's politeness and sincerity as to why the term was inappropriate and hurtful, he responded criticizing their request and accused them of making the situation unnecessarily “political.”
Even after multiple students stepped up to defend the initial request, the Department Head continued to defend himself and his words even going so far as to claim the student’s request was akin to censorship.
A Department Head in UCLA’s Computer Science Department is being called out for racist terminology in relation to the coronavirus on a department-wide email thread.
“I have a tenure not as a Job Perk but in order that discussion is not censored. To me [Professor] was censored,” he wrote, only explaining himself after realizing his emails were being broadcast to the entire department, including students. He even brags that he was at a Chinese restaurant recently which was still “80% full” — perhaps a watered-down version of “I have Asian friends and therefore cannot be racist.”
He continued on, threateningly mocking the student who had spoken up, referring to him as “brave” before going off on a tangent about his own “celebrity” on campus (“a student wanted a Selfie with me on account that I am ‘the famous CS professor who ride to school in Motorcycle’”). It’s immediately clear to anyone reading this exchange that this Department Head’s email contains a multitude of incorrect and unprofessional statements. This behavior from university staff, let alone a Department Head, is disturbing to students and faculty alike, especially in a time when misinformation can be deadly.
The virus began in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province in November 2019. As of March 19, over 9,800 deaths have been reported worldwide — over 3,200 of them in China. Since the virus’ outbreak, there have been more reported incidents of hate crimes against Asian-Americans, especially in cities such as Los Angeles and New York. UCLA has a large Asian-American population, especially compared to other institutions across the United States with almost 30% of their undergraduate population identifying as such. One of the students who participated in the email chain has a parent currently under quarantine in Wuhan.
Since the virus’ outbreak, there have been more reported incidents of hate crimes against Asian-Americans, especially in cities such as Los Angeles and New York.
Unsurprisingly, President Trump has yet to comment on the recent increase in racist attacks or make any statements to dissuade his supporters from continuing them, allowing this racial bias to spew downward from the highest levels of government. Both the president and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) have referred to the virus as the “Chinese virus”-- something that only adds fuel to the xenophobic fire. Other elected officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have repeatedly called it the “Wuhan virus” despite outrage from the Chinese government and the Asian-American community.
Rather than tackling effective prevention measures, our politicians are relying on the age-old practice of using an entire racial identity for a scapegoat. This minimalist labelling of a global pandemic to a single race of people echoes the racial panic of the Spanish Flu that hit the United States in 1918 or the 2009 virus (now referred to as the Swine Flu) that was originally called the “Mexican Flu.” The irresponsible terminology perpetuated by our own elected officials is shameful and dangerous.
So despite UCLA’s Computer Science Department Head’s claims to the contrary, this issue is already political. The Trump Administration has always used exclusionary language to push forward their agenda. Nevermind that the virus quickly spread to other countries across the globe, with huge outbreaks in Italy, Iran and South Korea. Rather than speak out to instill calm in the American people, the Trump Administration prefers to use this blatant racism to further their own agenda that has always been based on discrimination and exclusion. In light of increased violence towards Asian-Americans, it’s only right that we continue to make this issue political in order to protect the people of our country. While racist reactions in a time of crisis is nothing new, our response to these injustices does not have to repeat itself.
In light of increased violence towards Asian-Americans, it’s only right that we continue to make this issue political in order to protect the people of our country.
What the Department Head must learn is that you don’t get to decide if you’ve offended someone. If someone says your words or your actions are offensive, racist or rude; listen to them — they probably are. If you err in your words, apologize. If you fall back on racial slurs or bias, but do so out of ignorance, make it right. We can all evolve, and learning when we’ve been offensive and removing that behavior is a good place to start. Call-out culture only works if we can accept growth but more importantly, if we as a society take proactive measures to educate ourselves and others on what’s acceptable behavior.
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