Actor George Takei slammed singer Ted Nugent on social media after the musician called COVID-19 "Chinese s**t" in what Takei described as "a racist video rant."
Nugent, who has denied that the coronavirus is "a real pandemic," announced on Monday that he had tested positive for the virus.
"Ted Nugent, a long Covid-19 denier and conspiracy theorist, has come down with a bad case of it, calling it the 'Chinese sh*t' in a racist video rant," Takei tweeted on Tuesday. "But maybe it's not even Covid. I'm thinking it's just Cat Scratch Fever. Yes, karma has a sense of humor."
"Cat Scratch Fever" is the title of a 1977 Nugent song and album.
"I have had flu symptoms for the last ten days. I thought I was dying," the 72-year-old said in a Facebook Live broadcast. "Just a clusterf**k. I was tested positive today."
Nugent, a staunch Trump supporter, has previously questioned how many people have died from COVID-19 and said he would refuse getting vaccinated if offered.
Takei has been an outspoken activist against the recent surge of anti-Asian attacks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some have attributed the recent violence to the racist rhetoric used by former President Donald Trump to describe COVID-19.
A study published by the American Journal of Public Health last month suggested that Trump's vocabulary "likely perpetuated racist attitudes," and another report from Stop AAPI Hate found that more than 30 percent of racist incidents reported between March 2020 and August 2020 included mentions of anti-Chinese rhetoric.
Trump repeatedly referred to the virus as "the China virus" and "kung flu," despite warnings from international health agencies to avoid linking COVID-19 to one particular group. The World Health Organization had previously advised early on in the pandemic: "Don't attach locations or ethnicity to the disease, this is not a 'Wuhan Virus,' 'Chinese Virus' or 'Asian Virus.'"
Takei said Trump's remarks sent "a chill" throughout the Asian American community.
"Immediately, it's a chill that goes out into the community. Or worse, it's a frigid cold that goes out," Takei told MSNBC last month.
The actor commended President Joe Biden's condemnation of anti-Asian racism and his efforts to combat violence against Asian Americans, saying Biden's leadership "is in dramatic contrast to the has-been, gone president who continued to play to the ignorant and the racists in America by continuing to refer to the coronavirus as the 'China flu' or 'kung flu.'"
"Some are led by the masses," Takei said. "Others truly lead and educate and enlighten, and that's what President Biden is doing."
Newsweek reached out to Stop AAPI Hate for comment, but did not hear back before publication.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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