Labels, Stigmas, and Hornets in the Time of COVID-19

Recently, American beekeepers woke up and found some of their bee colonies beheaded. The perpetrator? Asian giant hornets (also known as “murder hornets”). Originating in Asia, these large bugs have recently made their way over to America. There have been a handful of different sightings, with most of them from concerned bee farmers who worry about the safety of their hives. The hornet’s appearance has also sparked concern en masse though because of their size, sting, and foreignness.

On March 16, President Trump posted a tweet calling the Coronavirus the “Chinese Virus”. This label has been something that has haunted the global Asian community since the WHO named the Coronavirus a global pandemic. The start of 2020 has seen a drastic uptick of race-based attacks. In London, a Chinese young man was publicly assaulted because of his ethnicity and sustained multiple facial injuries. An Asian New York City college student was punched by a passerby who yelled at her about the Coronavirus. Asians can’t walk the streets without getting called slurs. The community fears that there will be an increased surge of racism and violent hate crimes with the President having officially coined the virus as “Chinese”.

The Asian giant hornet’s appearance and name have struck at an inopportune time. Despite first being spotted in 2019, the headlines about them have only surfaced within the last month. Many believe that this timing only works to fan the flames of anti-Asian racism. Sites such as twitter have seen a resurgence of old stereotypes and harmful language surrounding the “murder hornets”.

All of this points to a chilling development in the American conversational sphere– the normalisation of Asian jokes in an everyday setting. People across the country are spouting out jokes about how the continent of Asia is trying to kill Americans with diseases and bugs. They are becoming desensitised to the suffering that Asian bodies go through because of this stigmatised language. While many see it as just another joke, those in the community see it as a callousness that will serve to injure themselves, their families, and friends.

It is greatly important to remember that language has an effect on both people’s emotions and their actions. Refusing to perpetrate and actively calling out stigmatised language helps those who are being unjustly labelled so that they don’t have to fear being assaulted. At a time like this, it is vital to be open-minded, understanding, and kind.

Photo credit 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html

Photo credit 2: https://www.newsweek.com/new-york-subway-attack-coronavirus-woman-mask-1485842

Report: Nicolette Schneiderman