Late last year, the United Nations issued a report that detailed “an alarming level” of racially motivated violence and other hate incidents against Asian Americans being blamed for causing the COVID flu.

It is difficult to determine exact numbers for such crimes and instances of discrimination, as no organizations or governmental agencies have been tracking the issue long-term, and reporting standards can vary region to region.

The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate said it received more than 2,800 reports of hate incidents directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide last year. The group set up its online self-reporting tool at the start of the pandemic.[i]

The BBC reports:

US President Joe Biden has signed a law that aims to address a rising number of anti-Asian attacks. What’s behind the hatred?

An elderly Thai immigrant dies after being shoved to the ground. A Filipino-American is slashed in the face with a box cutter. A Chinese woman is slapped and then set on fire. Eight people are killed in a shooting rampage across three Asian spas in one night.

These are just examples of recent violent attacks on Asian Americans, part of a surge in abuse since the start of the pandemic a year ago.

From being spat on and verbally harassed to incidents of physical assault, there have been thousands of reported cases in recent months.

Advocates and activists say these are hate crimes, and often linked to rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19. Unfortunately, with so many attacks going unreported by the Asian community, the problem is significantly larger.

In response to the rise in Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment, Hollaback! has partnered with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC to adapt free bystander intervention training as well as offer a de-escalation training adapted to support the Asian/American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

When we see “hate” or behaviors we instinctively believe are wrong do we flee, fight or freeze? So many of us freeze or do nothing because it is unconscionable what we have witnessed and are powerless and resourceless to react. The Hollaback training provides useful tools to enable a bystander to intervene safely and with self-confidence.

It is truly remarkable that there are only three words in our entire vocabulary that people hesitate, rehearse, and plan to use: “I love you”. Hate words, mean words, unkind words, words we wish we had phrased differently, leave our lips without a thought, so we suffer the consequences of what we have said later. It is equally remarkable that when people see someone doing something kind they want a part in it, too; yet, when it is not so kind the Bystander Effect comes into play.

Let’s firstly examine the Bystander Effect as an emergency, no bias, hate, or other emotion, simply an emergency.

Psychologists have long been interested in exactly why and when we help other people. There has also been a tremendous amount of interest in the reasons why we sometimes don’t help others.[ii]

In 1968, Bibb Latane and John Darley wrote an article called, “Group Inhibition of Bystander Intervention in Emergencies,” which concentrated on the social psychology dynamics behind group decision making. This study investigated the powerful effect that the presence of other people have on group decision-making. As it turns out to take action, based on their study, an individual must first notice an event, interpret it as an emergency and take personal responsibility to intervene. Bibb Latane and John Darley found that the amount of time it takes the participant to take action and seek help varies depending on how many other observers are in the room.

In their study, subjects were placed in one of three treatment conditions: alone in a room, with two other participants or with two confederates who pretended to be normal participants. As the participants sat filling out questionnaires, smoke began to fill the room. When participants were alone, 75% reported the smoke to the experimenters. In contrast, just 38% of participants in a room with two other people reported the smoke. In the final group, the two confederates in the experiment noted the smoke and then ignored it, which resulted in only 10% of the participants reporting the smoke.

The implication of the study is that people reference others for any kind of behavior that is unfamiliar. “If they don’t act, we don’t act.”

This kind of behavior is called the Bystander Effect. The bystander effect is a social phenomenon that occurs when people fail to help those in need due to the presence of other people.

We often fall into a trap of inaction by assuming that someone else will offer assistance. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. Being part of a large crowd makes it so no single person has to take responsibility for an action or inaction and this dynamic is called “the diffusion of responsibility.”

There is quite a bit more evidence documented in the Bystander study, and more to consider, but the snippet I have shared illustrates basic human reactions. Unfortunately, to take a closer look at stopping Anti-Asian Harassment specifically we need to understand “hate”. Hate is defined as intense or passionate dislike.  Is it possible to determine the catalyst for this hate and harassment? When people are motivated by hatred do we fear that hatred will be directed toward us if we intervene?

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an ingroup and an outgroup and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other’s activities, a desire to eliminate their presence, and fear of losing national, ethnic, or racial identity. Basically, it is a dislike or prejudice against people from other countries.[iii]

According to World Atlas[iv], 70.6% of U.S. Citizens identify as Christians.  So, what does God have to say about hate?  In Ephesians 4:14-32, the Bible says in more words than this, that hate derives from ignorance.

Whose job is it to elevate someone from ignorance? Is it the individual? Is it society? How can we educate the 96.4% non- Asian population[v] about Asian culture so it is not strange to them; so the public at large does not fear a group of people they do not understand? Most importantly, let’s educate our children that xenophobia is unacceptable. Experiencing a culture that differs from theirs is an opportunity to learn, not a reason to close a door. And, that their neighbor did not start COVID-19.

America is known as the melting pot. Since the 1600s people have migrated to North America. These people have established new roots, encountered foreign neighbors and strived to preserve their heritage.  Early settlers spoke their native languages at home or in their local communities. They established festivals to commemorate a heritage they were so fearful of losing. They tried to perpetuate their family lineage with people deriving from the same nationalities.  Through the years many cultures, mostly of European backgrounds reluctantly began to blend: Irish/Italian, English/German, Hungarian/French to illustrate a few examples.  What allowed these people to blend easier is that they looked similar and educated themselves to their blended counterpart’s culture.

Their languages, while different, used the same alphabet, sometimes cognates between the languages existed and communication was possible.

If we refer back to the Bystander study, crowd studies, and reactions, we can use those examples to see how the majority races may overlook the 3.6% minority Asian races. Is this out of ignorance?

What of the majority races who are not overlooking, but think they understand Asian culture? Is their version of understanding is that every Asian on this planet is responsible for COVID.

Here is a personal example of how we can better teach culture: I was most impressed with one of my daughter’s elementary school teachers with regard to the students who comprised her class. Her class was comprised of children from many socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, races, and religions or non-religious. Children brought food to school to explain their family’s heritage.  They brought native dress and shared stories.  Some brought their grandparents to discuss holidays, immigration, or simply history growing up. They learned from students with disabilities as well. I never knew the color of my daughter’s friend’s skin until I met them in person.  I only knew of their name. My daughter knew rituals practiced by friends and accepted them as well as respected them. My daughter attended public school. This wasn’t the norm of the school system, but the norm of one very impacting teacher. One person made a difference in the lives of her 30+ students. It’s time we overcame ignorance and invited this type of cultural exchange into our lives.

The United States has been at war with many countries.  We have not forgotten Japan in WWII or the Vietnam Conflict. Those wars were with countries, and not our neighbors, friends, and citizens. Many Americans with German descent fought against Nazis, but still clung to the German heritage that was good and dear to them. Let us preserve and celebrate our respective heritage. We are neighbors. We are hurting each other with our words, our actions, our hatred, and, yes, our ignorance. We must start being neighborly again. And, we must NOT stand by and do nothing.

“One of the key reasons people often fail to take action when help is needed is that they do not notice what is happening until it is too late. Ambiguous situations can also make it difficult to determine if help is truly needed. In the famous experiment discussed earlier in the article, participants were less likely to respond when smoke began to fill a room when the other people in the room also failed to respond. Since no one else was taking action, people assumed that there must not be an emergency. Rather than relying purely on the responses of those around you, staying alert and attuned to the situation can help you best decide how to react.”[vi]