Authors:
Stanley Dubinsky, Kaitlyn E. Smith, Michael Gavin, and Kathryn Watson
As the coronavirus spreads around the globe, it’s being characterized by media and politicians alike as an “invisible enemy.” People are afraid others may carry the virus but not show symptoms of the disease it causes – especially strangers ... It is this fear of strangers that causes people to be on heightened alert for anyone who might be somehow different. In some cases, the differences are visible, matters of physiological appearance and perhaps dress, leading to the racism and general fear of foreigners that has seen Asians attacked in Australia and the United States, and Africans kicked out of their homes in China. ... we find that our preliminary research and anecdotal evidence reveal another sort of discrimination, which happens when people’s differences are audible, not visible. ... discrimination against people who speak a language or dialect associated with an epicenter of infection.
Source:
April 30, 2020 in The Conversation
