Why does a pandemic bring out the worst in people?

Minorities and marginalised groups are forced to deal with the additional burden of being at the receiving end of bullying and hate during Covid-19

From racism to bullying, the Covid-19 pandemic has managed to bring out the worst in many people. Over the last few weeks, instances of xenophobia, racism and discrimination have been many.

Recently, the crisis took a communal turn in the country following the outbreak from the Nizamuddin mosque gathering in Delhi. Muslims have been blamed for spreading the virus, across media and social networking platforms; so much so that ‘Corona Jihad’ and ‘TablighiVirus’ began trending on Twitter. This is despite the fact that on March 13 — when the group congregated at the Markaz — the Health ministry had said that the virus was “not a health emergency”.

While logic may not be ruling much of these actions, it is important to understand, what is it about a pandemic that allows people the freedom to bring out their ugliest side in the open?

“Fear, especially of the unknown”, says Dr Naveen Jayaram, consultant psychiatrist, Sakra World Hospital.

“Since people don’t know where someone has been or if they are a carrier, they lash out. It is always easy to attack those who are already vulnerable,” he explains. This, along with the fact that this is an unprecedented situation, people are struggling to cope. “Either they are just looking out of themselves, leading to them lashing out at whoever they perceive as a threat; or they are filled with so much anxiety and fear that they indulge in activities like panic buying or rumour-mongering,” Dr Jayaram says.

Dr Neeraj Raj B, consultant psychiatrist, Aster RV Hospital says that during a crisis, the basic instinct of a human being for self-preservation comes into play. “People tend to forget that collectively we win and individually we perish.”

Racism at its peak

People from the Northeast, too, are bearing the brunt of ignorance and intolerance. The term ‘Corona’ has in fact emerged as a racial slur.

A report ‘Coronavirus Pandemic: India’s Mongoloid Looking People Face Upsurge Of Racism’ by Rights and Risk Analysis Group (RRAG), a New Delhi-based rights group, cited at least 22 cases of racial discrimination or hate crimes against such people between February 7 and March 25.

One of the first such instances was brought to light on March 22 when lawyer and social activist Alana Golmei shared photos of a Manipuri woman who was attacked in Delhi’s North Campus area. The woman alleged that she was on her way to buy groceries when a man came on a two-wheeler and spat on her. He called her ‘corona’ before fleeing the spot.

In another instance, a girl from Shillong was made to leave an upscale Delhi restaurant to make the other visitors more comfortable. While she tried to explain that she is an Indian, her requests fell on deaf ears.

There are also many instances of people from the Northeastern states living outside their hometowns being evicted and chased out by landlords and neighbours. Some were forced to observe self-quarantine, even though they had no physical symptoms of coronavirus, no foreign travel history and no apparent contact with any lab-confirmed Covid-19 patient.

A class issue

The economically underprivileged individuals have been unfairly targetted too. A video of migrant labourers being hosed down with disinfectant by officials near a checkpoint in Bareilly is proof of this.

Over the last few days, workers who are out of jobs and homeless, have been trying to make their way back home from cities they were employed in. Along with having to deal with unemployment, subsequent starvation, they are forced to endure mistreatment at the hand of authorities.

A cop in Madhya Pradesh wrote the words “Maine lockdown ka ullanghan kiya hain, mujhse door rehna (I have violated the lockdown restrictions, stay away from me)”, on a migrant labourer’s forehead. However, the policeman was taken off duty and served a notice for the action. In many places such as Surat, such clashes have devolved into violence, resulting in deaths. Many workers have died due to the physical strains of walking hundreds of kilometres, while several died in road accidents.

Stigma of an outbreak

History has shown us that a large-scale disease or outbreak is almost always accompanied by stigma and prejudices against a certain group. The gay community, for example, had to deal with ostracisation, because of AIDS.

Dr Jayaram says that these instances of hatred are a result of inherent prejudices being aired in the open. “In a normal world, people are able to manage these biases. But now, with the fear, and lack of an outlet, they are lashing out,” he says.

Misinformation and rumour-mongering, especially on social media, play a huge role in driving such behaviour. “Every day there is so much new information. It can be hard to filter out the genuine facts from hoax forwards. Always check the source of your information, and do not share anything that you are not sure of,” he says.

A pandemic will end at some point, but the stigma and its effects will always remain. “We will only know the true extent of the psychological harm the virus has done when it is all over. There are so many instances of people committing suicide because it is unchartered territory and many don’t know how to cope,” says Dr Jayaram.

Those who have been unfairly targeted, he says, will have to deal with the scars for many years after. People need to be mindful of their actions. It is also important to try and focus on the good things.

“It can’t be ignored, of course, but try and talk about the good things that are happening in the world, like how it has brought a sense of solidarity among many or how people are rising up to help those in need. A little positivity goes a long way,” he suggests.