No, Poor Chinese People Do Not Eat Bats

Racism spreads like a virus.

More incidents of people being both insulted and assaulted because they may be of Asian ancestry is an example of one current outbreak of such racism.

People will look for a scapegoat, because our human psychology tends to look for answers to soothe uncertainty, but also to be sure that the threat is “not from one of us.”

In troubled times, however, we need all of us to recognize all of US. And, not only that, but to recognize that even the world beyond our modern human cities sustains, and connects us. Our treatment of plants and animals, worldwide, desperately needs an overhaul.

But that said, please don’t complain about Chinese people “eating everything in sight including bats and bugs.”

Yes, some people do consume bats, and it is believed that SARS, another coronavirus, had its origins in China. How the COVID-19 virus jumped from animals is still being investigated. But most bat eaters are in parts of Africa. In most of China, the eating of bats, and other rare or exotic wildlife, is considered a luxury. Rich people, not poor, drive the dark, and ugly trade.

Wildlife and their habitats are under threat, but it is largely criminals, and a twisted sense of manliness, macho culture, and high status that drive people to torture and eat tiger, bear, pangolin, rhino, elephant, and yes, even innocent little bats, snakes, and sharks.