User:Deannep/sandbox

“Attributing Blame to Different Ethnicities”
During the spread of infectious diseases, fearful populations often place blame on minorities or foreign countries to create a sense of power over an uncontrollable situation. These actions often create fear, distrust, and division within a community. Within a singular population, society may blame a minority group for the outbreak of an infectious disease. These minorities are groups of individuals who make up less than half of a population. It is evident that these actions of placing blame stem from an overwhelming sense of fear of the unknown that a pandemic or epidemic can bring. While staying healthy during an outbreak is essential, a population may unknowingly reinforce the marginalization of minorities when distancing themselves from them. The physical act of separation can reinforce the negative perceptions of minorities as the ones who brought and spread the diseases. The act of isolation can increase the overall fear of “other” people and cause an us-vs-them view within a society. Alienation of these groups becomes more prominent during the course of a society’s action plan against a disease outbreak. Populations find it easier to blame minorities since they make up less of the general population, and it is easier to create a sense of isolation between already different groups. Isolation, while needed to limit the spread of a disease, can cause a society to place blame on the minorities within them.

Media and individual’s views on the severity of an infectious disease outbreak causes more blame to be placed on foreign countries and their civilians. Media showing the negative aspects of a disease or many different views on a disease creates fear in individuals about the uncertainty in the knowledge of infectious diseases. This causes people to blame groups that are not their own to try and alleviate their feelings of unsureness. Media causes a rise of fear of the unknown that comes along with infectious diseases. In turn, it causes populations to try and control one aspect of it, so they can gain more control: blame. Looking at individuals and the mindset they have on the disease, gives insight into how much blame they will put on a foreign country. Compared to individuals who are not fearful of getting sick with a disease, individuals who have a higher fear of getting sick feel more vulnerable and are more likely to show dislike and prejudice towards people from other countries. Placing blame on a foreign country can alleviate one aspect of the many unknowns about an infectious disease that is spreading. Fear comes with a feeling of loss of control, so assigning the responsibility to someone else can lead to more confidence in facing the unknown future involving infectious diseases.