EDMONTON, Canada -- Outside of Asia, Toronto has been the city hardest hit by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Canadian Chinese living there, as well as Canadians of Japanese and Korean ethnic origin, have felt the chill of blame.
One news story reported that when passengers of East Asian origin used public transportation in Toronto, other passengers would keep their distance and refuse to use the same grab handles. A joke that made the rounds in California said if you look Chinese and need a parking space all you need to do is sneeze and the entire parking lot is yours.
Such incidents are unfortunate but generally represent isolated cases of panic, ignorance and stereotyping. However, claims that SARS is the latest evidence that China poses a threat to the world are extremely disturbing.