In the midst of the international spread of a virus that started in China, and has had consequences in this country for Chinese nationals, Australians are being urged to eat Chinese.
Business for Chinese restaurants has fallen to a desperate low that may see many stores close down, with a bit of luck. That can only be good news since most of them operate beyond a civilised health code, and that’s just for starters.
Scenes of Chinese shopping precincts in Chinatowns where most of these restaurants and eateries are located look like ghost towns. That might’ve been the case, either way, had the virus gripped hold, only it wouldn’t be allegorical ghosts, but the ghosts of real coronavirus victims.
An inevitable hashtag and social media campaign is now in operation to bestir a sense of shame in those who aren’t prepared to overcome their irrational xenophobia and rush out for a meal of steaming Kung pow with noodle shrimp. Unsurprisingly, #IWillEatWithYou is being promoted by commie mob GetUp and SBS! And where China itself is fastidiously locking down the spread we’re expected to throw caution to the wind for the most aggressive invader in our country’s history.
See, what they really mean, but aren’t specifically saying, is that Aussies whipped from financially supporting bushfire victims and their families are now expected to bail out a bunch of Chinese businesses which benefit them not an iota.
This is where we’re supposed to break into predictable rhetoric about how that would be madness endangering Aussie lives, given the inevitability of catching the virus if you set within a hundred yards of a celestial. But that’s probably not the case since, by all evidence, measures have so far been successful in preventing the spread of the virus here.
In fact, no Australian has died, and the number of those suspected of catching it is negligible, and anyway, they’re all Chinese.
But that doesn’t mean we’re about to endorse anyone dining at Chinese restaurants, and in fact, we’re delighted that Aussies (and others) have seen fit to avoid them in droves. Let’s face it, the first lot to shun having anything to do with their own kind at the outbreak of this thing was the Chinese themselves. Who is it in the majority of their custom? It’s Chinese, not Australians.
Now’s the time to head out to the dim-sim wastelands and start snapping pics because witnessing all that starkness and tumbleweeds on such a scale it’ll send a signal to Australians just how dominant Chinese business is and how much they transformed our cities and suburbs.
The favourite narrative of groups like GetUp! etc is ‘fear and stigma’ and once again the message will do the rounds via business interests who have no love for Australians that we’re a pack of racist dogs for not wanting to spend our money on rubbish Chinese food.
Yet, what short and selective memories they all have. For, more than one tabloid TV current affairs program has done a spot on how Chinese restaurants and other of their businesses deliberately discriminate against Australians by having a price for Chinese and a set price for us. Ours is a lot higher.
Besides, you might catch coronavirus if you visit Chinatown. It IS after all a Chinese export.
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