The Ugly History of Blaming Ethnic Groups for Outbreaks
Turning coronavirus into a “Chinese” disease will only aid and abet its spread.
The crowds have disappeared from New York’s Chinatown since the outbreak from Wuhan, China.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesAs the coronavirus outbreak grows in scale and scope, a nasty side effect spreads: discrimination. Inside China, people from Wuhan have been treated like lepers. Outside, we’re seeing numerous reports of verbal and physical abuse aimed at ethnic Chinese, and an aversion to Chinese restaurants and other places associated with the country.
Sadly, this is nothing new: Past outbreaks have often gone hand in hand with ugly prejudice, with various ethnic or racial groups blamed for the disease. But this behavior, however commonplace in the past, has always backfired for the most obvious of reasons: Diseases don’t discriminate. Indeed, a pathogen like the coronavirus is the ultimate reminder of our shared humanity.