Transcript: Nan is sitting in front of a yellow wall with a round mirror reflecting branches hanging on it, while signing his story. Hello everyone, my name is Nan Zhou. I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay area in California for almost 30 years. I identify as Chinese American or Asian American. I don’t typically share videos or personal comments. I’ve been involved in the Deaf Coronavirus Support Group, reading articles and watching videos that people have shared. I’ve seen discussions about people’s thoughts and views, their concerns, anxieties, worries, and fears about their health, as well as taking care of their families, friends, and their communities. They have also shared good tips about how to protect ourselves and keep coronavirus at bay. All of this I can very much relate to, as I’ve shared the same experiences. I decided to make this vlog to take a stand for the POC community - particularly, the Asian American Deaf community - because Deaf Asian Americans are fighting against not one, but two things right now: 1) the coronavirus itself, and 2) another virus that triggers racism and xenophobia - which refers to the fear of a foreigner or a person from another country who is different - or Sinophobia, which means fear of Chinese people. Xenophobia and Sinophobia have been fueled in large part by comments made by the president of the US, who has blamed Chinese people for what he calls the “Chinese virus”. This is wrong and unacceptable. This statement breaks from the position of the World Health Organization (WHO) which said we cannot attribute a virus to an ethnic group or blame any ethnic group for a virus. The virus is separate from any ethnic group. Many people, however, have blamed and targeted Chinese people for the virus. I’ve seen many articles reflecting this. There have been over 650 cases of people facing discrimination because of this stereotyping and stigmatizing. This is very troubling and sad. There are many examples, but I will share three here. In the first situation, an Asian family was in an elevator. When the doors opened, a woman who was about to get on the elevator took one look at the family and exclaimed, “Coronavirus is here!” She refused to get on the elevator and chose to take the stairs instead. Her comment devastated the family. In a second example, an Asian woman invited her boss to join her for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. The boss refused, making a comment about coronavirus being at that restaurant. The woman was hurt and felt singled out because of her ethnicity. A third example involved an Asian woman who was running on a trail where she often exercised. She encountered a man who yelled out comments about how her people had brought coronavirus to the US. The man proceeded to fake cough and spit right in her face, not even keeping six feet away from her. This is obviously very threatening and heartbreaking. These are just a few of many examples. They make me uncomfortable and cause me to wonder if it is even safe for me to go outside now. I want to clarify that not all Chinese people eat all kinds of wild animals. That is not true. Statements like this really trigger me. One US senator from Texas, Josh Cornyn, said that Chinese culture involves people eating every kind of animal, such as snakes, bats, and dogs. He blamed Chinese people, saying that they are responsible for all sicknesses, including H1N1 or the swine flu, MERS (Middle East respiratory Syndrome), SARS, and now, coronavirus. Wait a minute! He forgot that there are people in Texas and Arizona who do eat rattlesnakes - just a small percentage of people, not everyone in those states. Also, a small percentage of people in Louisiana and Florida eat barbecued alligator. These percentages are just like the percentages of Chinese people who eat certain animals. The vast majority of people in China don’t eat animals like bats, pangolins, or civets (cats). They don’t eat wildlife. I have never once eaten them in my entire life. Only a very small percentage of people do. The people who do eat these animals are wealthy and powerful stars who have access to getting their hands on these types of exotic wildlife. Chinese culture always views food as medicine, and there is no nutritional value associated with eating those animals. I want to let you know that China does have a group of wildlife protection activists and advocates who fight against the wildlife food trade and seek to ban it. It’s important to understand that not all Chinese people eat those kinds of animals. Far from it. Coronavirus happened through transmission from animals to humans. This is just like how H1N1, or the swine flu, spread. H1N1 did not start in China - it actually started right here in the US. It was a sick pig who transmitted the disease to humans. Based on a report from the CDC, (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) 60.8 million people in the world got sick from H1N1, and over 151,000 died. No one targeted the US and blamed it for the virus. It just happened that the virus was transmitted to people. So, please, we need to reflect on this and join each other in solidarity. We need scientific research to determine if coronavirus was actually transmitted to humans from bats or pangolins. We also need the government to impose a ban on wildlife trade, which I wholeheartedly support. I want to stop the wildlife trade. I don’t want to see wild animals hurt or dead. I support a ban. It is time for us to move forward together in stopping the spread of the virus. Please don’t consider any virus to be caused by a specific ethnic group and start blaming or targeting a group of people. We all have to work together. In the front lines, doctors, nurses and scientists all over the world, in different countries, including China, are working hard. They cover themselves with masks and gowns, leaving them on for long periods of time because they can’t take them off to go to the bathroom or to eat. They are sacrificing their time to work. If they get sick with the virus, they experience a great deal of pain. There was one doctor who acted like a whistleblower. When he discovered the truth about the virus and reported his concern to the Chinese government, it silenced him and sent the police to reprimand him. He contracted the virus himself and died, sadly. Many doctors and nurses have missed out on seeing their families. They have left their children at home. It’s heart-breaking. They are fighting to protect and save people’s lives, while the government system hasn’t acted quickly enough. I give my utmost respect to the doctors and others on the front lines. I salute them. They are heroes - in Asia, Italy, Spain, and here in the US, too. They are all giving support and working together. There are no boundaries or divisions among them, just collaboration. The goal is to stop the virus from spreading, find a vaccine, and save more people’s lives. I hope you all are following their guidelines. Please stay home until the virus stops spreading, so there will be less of a burden for the front-line people everywhere. Thank you for watching. Disclaimer: The videos featured by Deaf Counseling Center (DCC) are contributed on a purely voluntary basis by community members. DCC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of the videos. Our sharing the video does not imply our view or endorsement. Deaf Counseling Center www.deafcounseling.com
Transcript: Nan is sitting in front of a yellow wall with a round mirror reflecting branches hanging on it, while signing his story.
Hello everyone, my name is Nan Zhou. I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay area in California for almost 30 years. I identify as Chinese American or Asian American. I don’t typically share videos or personal comments. I’ve been involved in the Deaf Coronavirus Support Group, reading articles and watching videos that people have shared. I’ve seen discussions about people’s thoughts and views, their concerns, anxieties, worries, and fears about their health, as well as taking care of their families, friends, and their communities. They have also shared good tips about how to protect ourselves and keep coronavirus at bay. All of this I can very much relate to, as I’ve shared the same experiences.
I decided to make this vlog to take a stand for the POC community - particularly, the Asian American Deaf community - because Deaf Asian Americans are fighting against not one, but two things right now: 1) the coronavirus itself, and 2) another virus that triggers racism and xenophobia - which refers to the fear of a foreigner or a person from another country who is different - or Sinophobia, which means fear of Chinese people.
Xenophobia and Sinophobia have been fueled in large part by comments made by the president of the US, who has blamed Chinese people for what he calls the “Chinese virus”. This is wrong and unacceptable. This statement breaks from the position of the World Health Organization (WHO) which said we cannot attribute a virus to an ethnic group or blame any ethnic group for a virus. The virus is separate from any ethnic group.
Many people, however, have blamed and targeted Chinese people for the virus. I’ve seen many articles reflecting this. There have been over 650 cases of people facing discrimination because of this stereotyping and stigmatizing. This is very troubling and sad.
There are many examples, but I will share three here. In the first situation, an Asian family was in an elevator. When the doors opened, a woman who was about to get on the elevator took one look at the family and exclaimed, “Coronavirus is here!” She refused to get on the elevator and chose to take the stairs instead. Her comment devastated the family.
In a second example, an Asian woman invited her boss to join her for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. The boss refused, making a comment about coronavirus being at that restaurant. The woman was hurt and felt singled out because of her ethnicity.
A third example involved an Asian woman who was running on a trail where she often exercised. She encountered a man who yelled out comments about how her people had brought coronavirus to the US. The man proceeded to fake cough and spit right in her face, not even keeping six feet away from her. This is obviously very threatening and heartbreaking.
These are just a few of many examples. They make me uncomfortable and cause me to wonder if it is even safe for me to go outside now.
I want to clarify that not all Chinese people eat all kinds of wild animals. That is not true. Statements like this really trigger me. One US senator from Texas, Josh Cornyn, said that Chinese culture involves people eating every kind of animal, such as snakes, bats, and dogs. He blamed Chinese people, saying that they are responsible for all sicknesses, including H1N1 or the swine flu, MERS (Middle East respiratory Syndrome), SARS, and now, coronavirus.
Wait a minute! He forgot that there are people in Texas and Arizona who do eat rattlesnakes - just a small percentage of people, not everyone in those states. Also, a small percentage of people in Louisiana and Florida eat barbecued alligator. These percentages are just like the percentages of Chinese people who eat certain animals. The vast majority of people in China don’t eat animals like bats, pangolins, or civets (cats). They don’t eat wildlife. I have never once eaten them in my entire life. Only a very small percentage of people do.
The people who do eat these animals are wealthy and powerful stars who have access to getting their hands on these types of exotic wildlife. Chinese culture always views food as medicine, and there is no nutritional value associated with eating those animals.
I want to let you know that China does have a group of wildlife protection activists and advocates who fight against the wildlife food trade and seek to ban it. It’s important to understand that not all Chinese people eat those kinds of animals. Far from it.
Coronavirus happened through transmission from animals to humans. This is just like how H1N1, or the swine flu, spread. H1N1 did not start in China - it actually started right here in the US. It was a sick pig who transmitted the disease to humans. Based on a report from the CDC, (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) 60.8 million people in the world got sick from H1N1, and over 151,000 died. No one targeted the US and blamed it for the virus. It just happened that the virus was transmitted to people.
So, please, we need to reflect on this and join each other in solidarity. We need scientific research to determine if coronavirus was actually transmitted to humans from bats or pangolins. We also need the government to impose a ban on wildlife trade, which I wholeheartedly support. I want to stop the wildlife trade. I don’t want to see wild animals hurt or dead. I support a ban. It is time for us to move forward together in stopping the spread of the virus.
Please don’t consider any virus to be caused by a specific ethnic group and start blaming or targeting a group of people. We all have to work together. In the front lines, doctors, nurses and scientists all over the world, in different countries, including China, are working hard. They cover themselves with masks and gowns, leaving them on for long periods of time because they can’t take them off to go to the bathroom or to eat. They are sacrificing their time to work. If they get sick with the virus, they experience a great deal of pain.
There was one doctor who acted like a whistleblower. When he discovered the truth about the virus and reported his concern to the Chinese government, it silenced him and sent the police to reprimand him. He contracted the virus himself and died, sadly. Many doctors and nurses have missed out on seeing their families. They have left their children at home. It’s heart-breaking. They are fighting to protect and save people’s lives, while the government system hasn’t acted quickly enough.
I give my utmost respect to the doctors and others on the front lines. I salute them. They are heroes - in Asia, Italy, Spain, and here in the US, too. They are all giving support and working together. There are no boundaries or divisions among them, just collaboration. The goal is to stop the virus from spreading, find a vaccine, and save more people’s lives. I hope you all are following their guidelines. Please stay home until the virus stops spreading, so there will be less of a burden for the front-line people everywhere. Thank you for watching.
Disclaimer: The videos featured by Deaf Counseling Center (DCC) are contributed on a purely voluntary basis by community members. DCC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of the videos. Our sharing the video does not imply our view or endorsement. Deaf Counseling Center www.deafcounseling.com