Yvonne's Tips For Teacher Blog

Yvonne's Tips For Teacher Blog

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Post 175: The Asian American Experience: Am I really a virus?

Post 175: Am I really a virus?

The labeling bias occurs when we are labeled, and others’ views and expectations of us are affected by that labeling (Fox & Stinnett, 1996). For example, if a teacher knows that a child has been diagnosed with a particular psychological disorder, that teacher may have different expectations and explanations of the child’s behavior than he or she would if not aware of that label. Where things get really interesting for our present discussion is when those expectations start to become self-fulfilling prophecies, and our self-concept and even our behavior start to align with them. For example, when children are labeled in special education contexts, these labels can then impact their self-esteem (Taylor, Hume, & Welsh, 2010). If we are repeatedly labeled and evaluated by others, then self-labeling may occur, which happens when we adopt others’ labels explicitly into our self-concept. In these types of situation, those who self-label may come to experience internalized prejudice, which occurs when individuals turn prejudice directed toward them by others onto themselves. Internalized prejudice has been found to predict more negative self-concept and poorer psychological adjustment in members of various groups, including sexual minorities (Carter, 2012) and racial minorities (Szymanski & Obiri, 2011).

Take Mary Kim, a highly successful Asian American entrepreneur and her European American husband were one day watching TV about COVID19.  The newscasters kept referring to COVID19 as 'the Wuhan virus' or 'the Chinese virus'.  Mary noticed how tense her husband was becoming while listening to the news. Lately, he had been trying to protect her from his germs at the office by not kissing or touching her as much. Pretty soon, Mary started to feel ugly and dirty because of all the references to Asians as a kind of virus. She even asked her husband, "Do you still love me even though I am Asian?" Her husband was taken aback by such a question and could not understand where that question came from, for he loved his wife with all his heart.  She explained meekly, "All those references to 'Wuhan virus' and relating that sickness to Asia, makes me as an Asian not feel pretty or attractive anymore." Mary's self-labeled herself as she internalized the prejudice of the newscasters associating a virus with an ethnic group.

In another example, Joseph said  "I resent it when they say 'Wuhan' virus as if to say all Asian Americans are infected' John said, ' Well Germans are not offended when you say 'German measles' and Spaniards are not offended when you say ,Spanish flu' so why should you be offended when they say, 'Chinese flu'? Joseph replies, "The difference is that when they say 'Chinese flu', I get dirty looks for being Asian and hate crimes are committed against Asians by people thinking all Asians carry the virus whereas no hate crimes are committed against Germans for having the measles' This prejudice against Asians stems from the Yellow Peril fear where 'hordes of dirty Asians will invade the land'. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1885 was enacted partially because the white workers at the time felt threatened that hordes of Asians would immigrate to the US and take away their jobs. When San Francisco quarantined Chinatown for an illness, they evacuated only the white residents, but left the Asians behind thinking the Asians were already dirty and infected. So, unlike Germans in German measles and Spaniards in Spanish flu, there is already a long history of prejudice and fear against Asians and a long history of prejudice associating Asians/ Chinatown  with dirt and vermin. That is the real reason why it is wrong for the newscasters to say, 'Wuhan' virus or 'Chinese' virus. When you negatively label Asian Americans, it can make Asian Americans like Mary feel dirty and it gives people the wrong impression of the hard working Asian Americans of the US.

https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/the-social-self-the-role-of-the-social-situation/

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