Dear Editor,
David Chan
As a Fire Commissioner of South County Fire in Snohomish County and Board Member of Snohomish County 911, I am really proud to say that both organizations have been working very hard in handling the coronavirus situation. However, I am really concerned about treatment of this virus at the national level. With President Trump calling it “Chinese virus” and some White House staffer calling it “kung-flu,” it is not only harmful but very damaging to the Asian American community. Have they seen that many of the medical doctors appearing on television as experts are of Asian descent?
This reveals the still deep down thinking that Asian medical technology and products are inferior to American or any Western technology. It starts with Trump thinking that the movie “Parasite” did not deserve to win the Best Picture Oscar. We have seen South Korea, Taiwan, and China take aggressive action to slow down the virus. However, I didn’t hear much about the United States sending teams to these places to learn from their experiences.
We are still stuck in the idea that America is the best in everything and there is no need to learn from anyone. A good example is the Centers for Disease Control wanting to develop its own testing methods, rather than using the World Health Organization’s existing test kits. We, as Americans, need to wake up and realize that Asian technology and products are not inferior. Just take a look at our everyday products, such as cars, televisions, cameras, and computers.
— David Chan
Well said.