Western Supremacy and COVID-19: My Rights in Asia Aren’t Violated, Yours Are

6 min readNov 21, 2020

I’m free to go out have coffee and cake

It still amazes me that, after almost one year since the new coronavirus started sweeping across the world, we are still talking about attacks on individual freedoms when it comes to tackling the pandemic.

I live in South Korea. Back in February, when a major outbreak struck the city of Daegu with a few hundred cases daily, streets there emptied overnight. Not because authorities said so, but because people were terrified of catching the virus.

The government started rolling out an aggressive contact tracing programme to ensure that every time a case occurred, people who might have come across the virus would be tested, isolated, and treated.

Part of the ongoing strategy means that the government is able to access information including credit card records and mobile network location to track persons at risk, and contact them to tell them to get tested. Data collected is then deleted after two weeks.

This was all the more important when several outbreaks occurred within secretive communities: one hitting the Shincheonji Church, and another Seoul’s gay community. In both instances, the government was desperate to trace, test, and treat everyone who might have been infected.

At the time, all eyes were on South Korea. I was suddenly inundated with interview requests from Western media asking about the South Korean response. The one question in common was:

“What about privacy issues?”

The question startled me because, until that point, I had never thought my rights were being violated. Rather, cluster outbreaks were being contained, and lives were being saved.

Why was Kate Bevan “still at home”?

Fast forward to today and I still see arguments about the “draconian” response by Asian countries like South Korea, that attacks on individual freedoms are incompatible with Western values. Some go as far as cultural stereotyping Asian countries as obedient due to Confucian tradition.

Exceptional circumstances call for exceptional measures. I would gladly give up my credit card information if it saves even one life. But to be honest, credit cards are not the full picture. Key to Asian countries like South Korea’s response was speed, mass testing, strict social distancing measures, consistent messaging, strict quarantine for incoming travellers, and strong penalties for those breaking the rules.

For reference, as of November 16, South Korea has had under 30,000 cases, and under 500 deaths. Taiwan? Just over 600 cases, and seven deaths. It hasn’t had a single domestic case in almost 220 days. Thailand has seen 60 deaths, Vietnam 35. It pains me to see the numbers in other countries.

To therefore dismiss their efforts as totalitarian is arrogance. Many in the region are genuinely perplexed at the complacency and botched jobs of Western governments. They’ve also realised there’s more to it: racism.

Racism for not listening to the warning signs and advice coming from Asian countries. Racism for thinking Western countries were immune to the “Wuhan virus”. Racism for claiming masks were useless despite Asian scientific research suggesting otherwise. Racism for orientalising all successful Asian countries as obedient and Confucian. Or perhaps it’s also a western supremacy thing.

I don’t feel any of my rights have been violated. I am free to go out, go to restaurants, coffee shops, department stores. I still go to the gym and cinema. I’ve booked a musical for next week. Offices are still open for business. All this while of course wearing a mask. There’s never been a lockdown.

Meanwhile, it’s difficult for me to see my parents in London who have been stuck at home alone for months. They are vulnerable, and are horrified when they see people not wearing masks. Recent footage from a popular London park packed with people without masks in the midst of the lockdown there no longer surprises me.

Friends in Europe are depressed. Many places are in lockdown. Some cannot go leave home without a signed certificate, or have their freedom of movement severely restricted. Some cannot work, others are out of work. Coronavirus cases continue to climb, as do the number of deaths — a sad consequence of people and putting self-interest and self-indulgence ahead of public health in the name of freedom.

The hypocrisy is that those demanding their freedoms have no qualms in handing over all their personal information online and on social media, or even having their own governments spying on citizens in the name of anti-terrorism.

When will the West get off its high horse and simply admit it got things very wrong instead of criticising or stereotyping Asian countries, perhaps even learning from them? Ultimately, it’s all together that we are going to defeat this virus.

Western Supremacy and COVID-19: My Rights in Asia Aren’t Violated, Yours Are

Written by Nadimmahmud