经济学人下载:亚特兰大谋杀案--美国反亚裔犯罪何时休(2)

Anti-Asian sentiment has emerged again during the pandemic. The Centre for the study of Hate and Extremism, a think-tank, found that whereas, overall, hate crimes dropped by 7% from 2019 to 2020, those against people of Asian descent rose by nearly 150%. Similarly, the Pew Research Centre, a pollster, reported in June 2020 that roughly two-fifths of Americans said that people expressed racist views about Asians more often than before the pandemic. Many fault Donald Trump for emboldening people to act upon their prejudices. 

新冠疫情期间，反亚洲情绪再次出现。智库仇恨和极端主义研究中心发现，2019年至2020年美国总体的仇恨犯罪下降了7%，而针对亚裔的犯罪上升了近150%。同样，皮尤研究中心在2020年6月的一份调查报告中称，大约有五分之二的美国人表示，相较于疫情之前，他们对亚洲人表达种族主义观点的频率要更高。许多人指责唐纳德·特朗普煽动美国民众按照自己的偏见行事。

Perpetrators often target Asian women. Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition of Asian advocacy groups, received 3,795 reports of anti-Asian incidents between March 2020 and February 2021- most of them from women. The incidents ranged from verbal harassment to being spat upon, a particularly vile act during a pandemic caused by a virus that spreads through respiratory droplets. The report contends that these are “only a fraction” of the incidents that have actually occurred. 

犯罪者往往以亚裔女性为目标。亚洲倡导团体联盟“停止仇恨亚太裔(Stop AAPI Hate)”在2020年3月至2021年2月期间收到了3795份关于反亚裔事件的报告，其中大部分来自女性。反亚裔事件五花八门，从口头骚扰到被吐口水。在新冠病毒可以通过飞沫传播的疫情期间，吐口水是一种及其恶劣的行为。报告认定，相对实际发生的事件，这些只是九牛一毛。

On the afternoon of March 17th police officers said that the alleged shooter— Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old charged with eight counts of murder and one of aggravated assault— appeared to have been motivated by sexual addiction. Online reviews of the attacked massage parlours indicate that they may have offered sexual services. At a press conference the day after the shootings, authorities said that he had “a bad day”, and saw the spas as a “temptation” that had to be eliminated 

21岁的罗伯特·亚伦·朗被控犯有八项谋杀罪和一项严重袭击罪。3月17日下午，警方称这位被指控枪手的犯案动机似乎是性瘾。被袭击按摩院的网络评论显示，他们可能提供过不正当的性服务。在枪击案发生后第二天的记者招待会上，当局说罗伯特·亚伦·朗“今天过得不好”，并认为水疗是必须消除的“诱惑”。

But the possibility that his actions were fuelled by racism has not been ruled out. The House Judiciary Committee announced it will hold a hearing on anti-Asian violence on March 18th. Even as a semblance of post-pandemic normality appears on the horizon, fear continues to grip America’s Asian communities. 

但无法排除他的暴行受到种族主义煽动的可能性。众议院司法委员会宣布将于3月18日举行反亚裔暴力听证会。尽管疫情后时代的正常状态已露端倪，但恐惧依旧在美国亚裔群体中不断弥漫。