Chaos, SARS, Yellow Peril: Virulent Metaphors for the Asian American Experience?

Abstract

As I write from Hong Kong, the World Health Organization on March 28 lifted its travel advisory against only one Asian country-Viet Nam, the first in the region to contain the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) Virus. At the same time, UC Berkeley made a move to rescind its summer program for students from SARS-infected areas, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. It is the first American university to do so. My mother calls me on the phone and tells me Chinese restaurant tables are empty in San Francisco. Reports from New York and London tell the same story about Chinese eateries. It's a double-whammy for New York Chinatown-the SARS scare coming not long after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Meanwhile, at the UC Irvine and at UCLA, Professor Linda Vo together with Amerasia associate editor Brandy Lien Worrall and publications coordinator Mary Kao are putting finishing touches on the new edition of the journal, devoted to the contemporary experiences of Vietnamese Americans.