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Dora Onuorah
| 2022-23 |
C ulture
B e h a viour
S ociety
Introduction: The article, The project
The social analysis of a global health phenomenon such as COVID-19 is
essential because the social sciences provide people with the tools
needed to improve their material conditions and create the opportunity
for people to rebuild themselves and their relationships with one
another. "The slur I never expected to hear in 2020" states that antiAsian discrimination has resurfaced recently in a xenophobic and violent
manner, all while being minimized and dismissed whenever victims bring
it up (Hong 2020). The article argues that the pandemic has revealed the
white supremacist foundation of the world in the disproportionate
effects it has had on minority groups.
An Anthropological Perspective
Ethnocentrism involves evaluating another
culture through the perspective of one's own,
which often results in racism and xenophobia. It is
prevalent in everyone because everyone is
nurtured within their specific environments, which
grow to become part of them. Lewis H. Morgan
was an anthropologist who viewed cultural
evolution through an ethnocentric lens.
In the article, it is mentioned that white people were revolted by the smoke and smells of
Chinatown, San Francisco (Hong 2020). They believed that the Chinese Americans were dirty
simply because Chinese culture was different from their own. The myth that all Chinese
people were to blame for the pandemic stemmed from xenophobia that was the result of
American ethnocentrism. Avoiding misinformation and racism towards other cultures starts
with becoming aware of where ethnocentrism lies within oneself so that one can dismantle it.
A Sociological
Approach
Discrimination takes on different forms depending on The article, unfortunately, has reports of all these
the range of the perspective, be it micro (personal and types of discrimination aimed toward Asian
small-scale) or macro (large-scale and
Americans. The author finds herself spreading
institutionalized). From small-scale verbal rejection,
stereotypes about the Chinese diet, a woman refuses
to be served by an individual she perceives to be
involving exchanging prejudiced jokes, and
discrimination, involving conscious exclusion of a group, Chinese, an attacker hurls acid on an Asian woman,
and, in 1885, white people set fire to Chinese-owned
to violence through racist slogans or attacks, and
extermination, involving large-scale violence. All forms businesses and drove them out of their homes with
of discrimination, no matter the size, are unacceptable. clubs and pistols (Hong 2020).
Classifying the discrimination present in the world empowers groups to look into the root causes
and take them apart, rather than chalking it all up to some unknown force that can't be controlled.
A Psychological Viewpoint
Alienation has a profound cognitive effect on the brain
of a victim, specifically on the amygdala. It is the section
of the brain related to automatic reactions to stress and
external threats, working with the prefrontal cortex to
interpret safety concerns and the fight or flight
response. Lasting mental and physical impacts occur
when these parts of the brain are over-activated.
There are several accounts of Asian Americans, including the
author herself, feeling "hypervisible", fearing becoming the next
target of a hate crime (Hong 2020). They felt watched and on
guard, always anticipating an attack from unexpected sources.
Being alienated or threatened because of unchangeable aspects of a
person's identity has debilitating effects on victims of racism and xenophobia,
such as persistent exhaustion and developing a more reticent demeanour.
From the Mind of Leon Festinger
A Social Psychologist
As a social psychologist,
Festinger would regard
this pandemic as an
application of the theory of
social comparison, how
thoughts and ideas are formed
in people's heads against those
of a larger group, especially in
the case of the spread of
misinformation (Suls 2010).
Upon reading this article, Festinger would take
an interest in the cognitive dissonance Asian
Americans would experience as they raise
concerns about being treated like second-class
citizens and are told, and slowly believe, that
this is not a big issue.
Leon Festinger is a renowned
scientist, archeological and
experimental social psychologist,
statistician, and professor. His
theory of cognitive dissonance
described the inconsistency
between our disapproving attitude
towards an action and our choice to
do that action and the discomfort
that arises because of that.
Conclusion
An anthropologist can extract the roots of xenophobia through an understanding of
ethnocentrism. A sociologist can research and map out the different ways racism presents
itself in society. A psychologist asks the question of what effect discrimination will have on the
targeted. Life as an Asian-American during COVID-19 is one in which they fear for their safety
from others as well as from the virus. However, the social sciences can find ways to solve this
issue and give everyone the tools needed to live in harmony with one another.
APA Citations
Hong, C. P. (2020). The slur I never expected to
hear in 2020. The New York Times.
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/12/magazine/asia
n-american-discrimination-coronavirus.html>
Haskings-Winner, J., Collishaw, R., Kritzer, S., &
Warecki, P. (2011, April 29). Social Science: An
Introduction Student Text. McGraw-Hill School
Indige.
Suls, J. (2010). Leon Festinger. In Brittanica
School. Encyclopedia Brittanica.
<https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/LeonFestinger/604132>