Coronavirus outbreak gives rise to racist rhetoric about Chinese people and cuisine
The global coronavirus outbreak, which has sickened 20,600 people in Asia and killed at least 427 in China per latest counts, has raised public health concerns among disease experts and sparked anxiety among the general public. It has also stoked racist sentiments about Chinese people and cuisine—especially on the internet, Vice reports. In the wake of news outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reporting that coronavirus is “linked” to outdoor food markets in Wuhan, China—despite expert warnings that its underlying causes are far more complex than we yet know—Coronavirus memes have proliferated on Reddit, and viral tweets have drawn unfounded connections between Asian food and the disease’s spread. Rather than cracking insensitive jokes in the midst of tragedy, maybe just log out?
