CULTURE
Why Your Coronavirus Jokes Aren't Funny Written by Ally Lin
Your jokes, which stem from the ignorance of a President who refers to COVID-19 as the "Kung Flu," are not funny. Your jokes about eating bats are not funny. Your jokes about staying away from Asian businesses, or even worse, Asian people, are not funny - even if your Asian friend awkwardly chuckles when you tell it. They are racist and insensitive.
I have found myself in a constant state of anxiety leaving my house. As a second-generation Asian American who is fully assimilated into American culture, speaks perfect English, and attends a predominantly white institution, I am terrified. I can't even begin to imagine how my immigrant parents are feeling.
As if Asian-Americans hadn't been through enough, we are being targeted, harassed, and assaulted amidst this global pandemic. This is fueled by xenophobic comments made by the President of the United States, the media, and if you're reading this article, most likely, you or someone you know. If you haven't seen the videos of Asians being attacked during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's because you are not looking.
The casual comments from passengers on public transportation about how "If that guy just hadn't eaten that bat, none of this would be happening." The long, glaring, silence of someone staring, which forces me to wonder, "Is it because I'm Asian? Do they think I did this?" The feeling that I can't leave my house without being judged for the shape of my eyes and the color of my skin. Sound familiar? I know I didn't do anything, but I also know what I look like to the world.
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