To think that coronavirus has exposed a nasty undertone of racism?

[AllHeart1]

Now I’ll admit that I can’t be doing with all the hysteria surrounding this. People wanting colleagues to stay off work because they’ve been to china/wanting to keep their kids off school because one of them has been to china/wanting Brits to be kept in china lest they bring the virus home.

While there have been some deaths, in comparison to the numbers of those diagnosed these are small and have occurred in people who mostly had already underlying health conditions.

But I can’t help thinking what these attitudes are actually saying about people’s attitudes towards the Chinese.

Quite apart from the above, I’ve seen people express concern that a package sent from China two weeks ago might infect them, followed by advice to quarantine it for two weeks and then spray with anti-bac before opening.

Wondering i f it’s safe to go to the local Chinese in case someone working there has been in contact with someone from China.

And someone I know personally who is of Chinese origin but grew up in this country being told that they should keep out of circulation because they’re Chinese and therefore could be infectious.

A lot of this is of course hysterical paranoia, but it seems to be spreading, and it gives out a very nasty message imho.

Being worried about the virus (and taking some precautions) is not being racist.

Describing the country as the cesspit of the world, moving away from every Chinese person you come into contact with, judging a nation because of what a minority do = racist

The responses from one of my partner's friends on fb has been disgustingly racist and the comments on his thread are xenophobic. Its upset me a lot.

It's alarmist. And there are stoopid people out think all chinese people they see could be a risk to them, but i do think if it originated in another country, even a Euro one, they'd be avoiding those nationalities.

Wish there was more sympathy shown for those having to live more directly in the immediate affected areas. Have not seen much evidence of this :(

Responding to original OP post. Yes I do. I've been really shocked by how people are talking about those of Chinese origin. It's scary like after 9/11 when brown skinned people were more likely to be attacked. It's incitement. It's gross. The coronavirus is not a reason to lose humanity and a sense of proportion. Obviously we need to take precautions but that's it. I suspect it is being over reacted to to make sure people take it seriously.

God I've just voted and am shocked. Apparently OP is being unreasonable to think the coronavirus has exposed racism? Really? Ffs

Burpeesshmurpees

It will be a cold that they have, same as everyone else. It is the arse-end of January, and everyone and her cousin is coming down with colds and flu, just as they do every year.

My Dsis lives in Singapore. The government has "banned Chinese people" apparently

I have tried to labour through that video - it is very suspect, at over a tedious hour long - seems more like clickbait to me. If they had useful and meaningful points to make, they could have been got across in a fraction of the time. These guys are not virologists or epidemiologists. Comment and speculation.

some people seem to even think that Chinese people living here might have the virus (even if these people haven't even been to China recently

My Dsis lives in Singapore.The government has "banned Chinese people" apparently.

Oh yes;
"Singapore closes borders to all Chinese travellers to stem spread of coronavirus."

•The island nation is the first Southeast Asian country to bar all visitors from the mainland.
•The visa suspension will come into effect immediately, while the travel restriction will start at 11.59pm on Saturday.

www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3048441/singapore-closes-borders-all-chinese-travellers-stem

The live animal thing is so distressing for me. I really wish it could be stopped.

The Chinese government needs to do something about this

Just yesterday, I was walking up to my place of work and I got my first "Do you have Coronavirus?" comment from a teenager.

The teenager sounds like an idiot. Are you a teacher?

It's not unreasonable to be more worried about this virus than flu, because we know what flu is, we have vaccines which are reasonably effective, and in most cases we know that we'll feel rubbish for a week or so and then gradually be ok.

This is a complete unknown quantity.

Someone on Facebook posted on our town wall thing that they saw a chinese person at the hospital and there was basically a mass panic

as for this how do they know what a Chinese person looks like? I could only tell you that someone was likely to come from the Far East from their appearance.

Yes because I read a ridiculous thread yesterday where the OP said she was going to a heavily Chinese populated area and was scared... unless those Chinese people have just been to China, they pose no risk! She was acting like being Chinese was the thing to be scared of! I'm sure many Chinese people are settled in other areas of the world and rarely visit China if at all! I couldn't help but laugh at the logic of it all. It's not a Chinese virus! It just happens to have broken out in China! Any mammal can catch the virus. I'm pretty sure the majority of that heavily Chinese populated area haven't been to China for yonks considering they live in South Africa now and probably have done all their lives. Some might be 2nd or 3rd generation born there for christ sake

YappityYapYap

Yeah, you'd think all Chinese people did in their spare time was to fly backwards and forwards to China.

There’s a lovely video of a screaming dog being BBQ’D alive for those that would like proof.

But it’s not the norm in China, it’s a minority who do this. Look at how foie gras is made (the video on YouTube of a goose being force fed is horrific) and yet people don’t call Western countries cross pits.

Many Chinese people are (rightly) trying to ban the eating/selling of wildlife.

OOH this is where the virus has originated from not where the gooses are abused which is also disgusting.

Hence these barbaric practices being highlighted and bringing into question the lack of hygiene etc

The World Health Organisation needs to get over there at some point, close down these disgusting markets-good for the rest of the world and good for the animals.

Sars, Asian Flu and now this...it seems that these diseases come from there more than anywhere and only a gobshite would think it isn't linked to hygiene.

Yes, in breaking news Chinese people living outside China are more likely than most to return there to visit China or come into contact with friends and family who have.

If your child was in a class that a pupil whose parent went back and forth there on business, would you happily let your child sit next to them?

I've no doubt some sad sacks would...just so they could maintain their woke credentials.

You are so blatantly xenophobic it’s actually stomach churning.

I’m not going to be well disposed to any country that puts live dogs onto bbq’s.

Disgusting.

There’s a lovely video of a screaming dog being BBQ’D alive for those that would like proof

Why the hell they can't kill it first?, beats me suppose they have some idea that the terror that the poor dog goes through will make their dicks stronger of some such bollix:(

Theres another one some wazzok eating live mice, picks them up dips them in a sauce, then eats them alive!.

No wonder they devlop such virsus there so much!.

They also skin animals alive for the fur trade. As do euro fur farms from what I’ve read.