United we are called, divided we are

Posted January 2021

By Jennifer Dinh

Staff Editor

2020 was a year full of more downs than ups, and though the country should be united, we are more divided than ever.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, when Oregon went into lockdown and it was crucial to stay at home in order to minimize the spread and save lives, many individuals still went out to gather in groups without masks. Even now, when several hundred cases are reported every day in our state, there are those that still refuse to wear masks or gather in large groups without wearing masks. The efforts made by the majority of the state to save lives should not go in vain because of those that have no respect for the lives of others. It also doesn’t help that many individuals believe the pandemic is a hoax and that wearing a mask imposes on their freedom to breathe oxygen.

In addition to anti-maskers, the number of hate incidents against Asian Americans throughout the pandemic has been well over 2000, from reports of Asian Americans being spat on, told to go back to their own country, blamed for starting the pandemic, called racial slurs, to being physically harassed. It is alarming that instead of finding ways to unite and stay safe, individuals chose to attack others and be xenephobic and racist. In June, President Trump called COVID-19 the "Kung Flu" and "Wuhan," which not only goes against World Health Organization’s best practices for naming diseases, but is undoubtedly racist. He has also called COVID-19 the "China Virus" multiple times. What does that say about half of the country who voted for someone who makes such remarks?

To make matters worse, throughout the racial unrest against systemic racism towards Black people, the Black Lives Matter movement was counterattacked by the All Lives Matter, White Lives Matter, and Blue Lives Matter “movements.” Instead of letting Black people stand up for themselves after centuries of oppression, discrimination, and racism, many people have actively tried to hinder the importance of BLM movement and invalidate the traumatic experiences that many Black people have gone through due to the color of their skin. The BLM movement’s purpose is not to push the idea that only Black lives matter. Instead, it is to fight racism and anti-black violence against Black people that has been happening for much longer than it ever should have.

In short, a country called the United States of America proved that the Divided States of America is a much more fitting name.