Item
Alex Osuji Oral History, 2020/05/05
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
Alex Osuji Oral History, 2020/05/05
Description (Dublin Core)
In this monologue, Alex Osuji discusses his feelings on the social response to COVID 19. He reflects on the racism he is witnessing and connects it to past viruses.
C19OH
Date (Dublin Core)
Creator (Dublin Core)
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Collection (Dublin Core)
Curatorial Notes (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
11/23/2021
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
02/11/2022
03/22/2022
05/13/2022
01/24/2024
Date Created (Dublin Core)
05/20/2020
interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
Alex Osuji
interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
self
Location (Omeka Classic)
92394
Victorville
California
United States of America
Format (Dublin Core)
Audio
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Duration (Omeka Classic)
00:01:43
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
Alex Osuji 0:00
This pandemic has shown me that through the worst of times, the foolish still choose to be racist given the slightest opportunity to be ignorant. I've heard countless jokes that any person from oriental descent will infect you with COVID. As with H1N1 brought out the worst of people towards Hispanics and Ebola to people of African descent, through quarantine, people have been looking for ways to demean Asians. This virus has also exposed the beliefs of people. Some people believe that we do not have to follow stay at home orders or wear masks when going out in public despite the amount of deaths associated with COVID. Other people believe that this whole pandemic is a conspiracy designed for population control despite more people, more specifically 10 million people dying from cancer annually. However, there is one thing I am hopeful for after the end of social distancing restrictions, and that is hygiene and sanitation. As it may be, not everyone will change but a significant amount of people seem to be changing the way we culturally deal with illnesses. Hopefully moving forward when people are sick and are in public, they think of everyone as a whole and not just themselves with the use of personal protective equipment. Furthermore, as a result of any pandemic minimization of activities, behaviors, or performances can be handled differently by reducing the number of people in crowded areas as well as being more versed towards organisms that compromise our nervous system. In the decades to come, communities, activities, events will be changed in terms of limiting the amount of people in crowded areas given similar circumstances, along with more remote ways of communicating, doing business, teaching outside of school.
This pandemic has shown me that through the worst of times, the foolish still choose to be racist given the slightest opportunity to be ignorant. I've heard countless jokes that any person from oriental descent will infect you with COVID. As with H1N1 brought out the worst of people towards Hispanics and Ebola to people of African descent, through quarantine, people have been looking for ways to demean Asians. This virus has also exposed the beliefs of people. Some people believe that we do not have to follow stay at home orders or wear masks when going out in public despite the amount of deaths associated with COVID. Other people believe that this whole pandemic is a conspiracy designed for population control despite more people, more specifically 10 million people dying from cancer annually. However, there is one thing I am hopeful for after the end of social distancing restrictions, and that is hygiene and sanitation. As it may be, not everyone will change but a significant amount of people seem to be changing the way we culturally deal with illnesses. Hopefully moving forward when people are sick and are in public, they think of everyone as a whole and not just themselves with the use of personal protective equipment. Furthermore, as a result of any pandemic minimization of activities, behaviors, or performances can be handled differently by reducing the number of people in crowded areas as well as being more versed towards organisms that compromise our nervous system. In the decades to come, communities, activities, events will be changed in terms of limiting the amount of people in crowded areas given similar circumstances, along with more remote ways of communicating, doing business, teaching outside of school.