I don’t know about yours, but my social feeds are infected with tacky jokes about coronavirus involving Corona bottles, unwilling subjects, fake news, and second-hand humour.
In what the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) have now declared a global health emergency, the coronavirus has resulted in eight cases of human-to-human infection outside of China. Yes, it is a public health risk, but this is no cause for panic, much less hateful actions that marginalise the Chinese race.
The outbreak of coronavirus has opened doors to discrimination that should be left shut.
Five people were arrested in Malaysia for sharing false information via social media yesterday. In France, the newspaper Le Courier Picard used headlines “Alerte jaune” (Yellow alert) and “Le péril jaune?” (Yellow peril?) alongside an image of a Chinese woman wearing a protective face mask. Sam Pham, a University of Manchester student of East Asian descent, writes that on a bus ride he overheard a woman advising “I wouldn’t go to Chinatown if I were you, they have that disease.”
Melbourne’s Herald-Sun printed a scathing title with the racist slur “Pandamonium” on Wednesday. In Sydney, fake news has emerged about a non-existent “Bureau of Diseasology in Parramatta,” which lists areas reportedly contaminated by the virus proved by “positive readings” in the air near train stations.
Fake news and misinformation around the coronavirus is wild. Childcare centres are sharing a post claiming wagyu beef and mi goreng could have traces of the virus and that the "bureau of diseasology Parramatta" is testing the air. Everyone knows that burea relocated to Ryde. pic.twitter.com/FO3Nbd5z5L
— Kevin Nguyen (@cog_ink) January 28, 2020
The Western Sydney suburbs in question have large populations of people Chinese or Vietnamese in birth or descent. The Instagram post also warned against products made or held in areas close to Wuhan China, such as Mi Goreng noodles, wagyu beef and fortune cookies as they may contain traces of the so-called “corona’s virus.”
An entire Instagram account dedicated to the virus has been created, with a bio that reads “Just trying to make y’all laugh before we die.” The feed is populated by digs at Chinese culture and is one of many that are circulating the web.
The death toll currently stands at 170 in China as of Wednesday, however, the Director-General of the W.H.O. argues that there is no reason to limit international trade or travel to China.
As Sam Pham says, “The coronavirus is a human tragedy, so let’s not allow fear to breed hatred, intolerance and racism.” Ignore fake news, stand up for any victims of discrimination and stop the spread of shitty, offensive memes by enjoying some better ones.
