Humane Changes before Pandemic Changes

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused various forms of devastations to the entire

globe. When it comes to the common changes inflicted by the pandemic, people often refer

to economic depletion, education delivery shifts, lifestyle alteration, employment

difficulties, and population movement restrictions. However, one significantly affected

aspect of society that has received less recognition from the public and is often overlooked

is its socio-cultural implications. By this, UNESCO (2020) described how the pandemic

influenced human rights via exemplifying the recent surge of unethical and racial

judgement situations during the span of the global lockdown.

The term “social distancing” according to the same source, entails a deeper meaning

that contributes to socio-cultural treatments. Although the term was coined to signify the

isolation and distancing of oneself from other people, some experts beg to differ. Social

distancing, in the current discourse, would rather invariably imply disconnection from

other people.

In addition to this, COVID-19 has already revealed a number of racist trends

directed against Asian people, ranging from cyberbullying to physical attacks, racist

trolling, and a range of xenophobic conspiracy theories stated not only by ordinary citizens

but even also by politicians and world leaders. All of this is counterproductive to the

intercultural dialogue agenda, which emphasizes cross-cultural communication, mutual

understanding, respectful participation, and intercommunal cooperation. Definitely,

numerous unique community-led methods that represent the essential ideals of

intercultural discussion have emerged in reaction to COVID-19 lockdowns. Even migrants

are suffering from social judgement in other host countries with less tolerance of foreign

people, especially Asians.

Citizenship has become the primary indicator of belonging. Many civil society

organizations have been working hard to fight for and demand rights and safeguards for

non-citizens, particularly asylum seekers and temporary workers, while governments

strengthen border controls and close airports. While it is already difficult enough for

migrants to not go back to their homeland and meet their loved ones, racial injustice adds

up to their anxiety amidst the pandemic.

Truly, the pandemic is an event that opens our eyes to so many changes—especially

changes we have to achieve as humans. The world (entire human race) is already too

devastated to receive more criticism from humans. It is human to be different from other

people. What isn’t human is to put pressure on individual differences simply to fit in one’s

standards, and that is not what the humans need to put an end to this long overdue

pandemic. Instead, we could be more open to the socio-cultural implications of the plague.

We could understand better of the things we need to heal first before healing the entire

world.