Innumerable social media have started to show the outbreaks of Covid-19 (a.k.a Wuhan Coronavirus) and its danger. As a result, this problem is enough to make people frightened and concerned about themselves. Especially, concerns of Chinese students at Georgetown Prep School have been growing since the outbreak. One source of concern is the fact that they may not come back to the States if they go back to China during the spring break. 

One Chinese student, Tony Yan, has been really sad because he had planned to go on a trip with his family during this spring break. He even said about the virus, “It will be the fury of god to me who didn't study hard!” Other Asian students at Georgetown Prep also share the same worries. 

Unfortunately, the list of worries doesn’t end here. Actually, the bigger concern is the suspicious eyes of other non-Asian students. Eric Yao, another Chinese student describes the situation - “This situation is really worrisome and It has made me sad and stressed out. But, the bigger problem is how to correct the misguided belief of those people who think all Chinese people are infected by this virus. I can call it a novel type of racism.” 

In fact, the Covid19 outbreak provides a chance to reveal the deep-seated prejudice based on cultural difference, one that can be a source of suspicion and even discrimination. The news on peculiar Chinese culture of eating bat meat, presumably a source of virus, blames Chinese culture as the misery like this outbreak. Some of the Chinese students were mocked about this by their non-Asian peers. But, contrary to popular belief, all the Chinese students at Georgetown Prep School said that they had no experience of eating bat meat. Overgeneralization based on prejudice runs rampant. 

One white student, Alex Munoz stated, “The fear and trepidation are perhaps natural reactions to this epidemic, but I think it is a bad idea to blame all Asians for causing this situation. We should all try our best not to be swept away by prejudicial impulses. We should not forget the fact that one of our school’s motto is “Men for Others.” We should be fair and equal to all students.” 

Jaeyoung Jung
Freshmen (grade 9)
Georgetown Preparatory School