"It's clearly working"

A noble (!) use of racist disinformation about the coronavirus outbreak.

Coronavirus misinformation surges, fueled by clout chasers

The first- and second-most-popular coronavirus posts on Instagram since the start of the outbreak, according to Crowdtangle, a social media metric platform, came from the account of Karmagawa, a U.S. nonprofit owned by an internet marketer that donates proceeds from the sale of branded merchandise to various charitable causes.

Both posts feature a carousel of videos, some of which show people eating animals like bats and mice and put the blame for the outbreak on the eating habits of Asian people — claims that have been debunked. 

Experts have warned about the spread of xenophobic and racially insensitive stereotypes tied to the coronavirus.

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Jennifer Mancini, a public relations representative for the nonprofit, said that while the videos are perhaps technically misinformation, they generally support the current research and are in the service of a greater philanthropic mission: to save animals and build schools.

“A lot of his stuff is for shock value, but look at the results,” Mancini said. 

“He’s had so many shares. He’s gained so many followers, and donations have started coming in, so it’s clearly working. People are watching, right?”

Mancini said money donated to the nonprofit would go to buy supplies and medicine for people and families affected by the virus.