Essentially, it's a fear based on an unknown, an irrational fear. Irrational because it's targeted at EVERYTHING foreign. I can understand if a person has had a bad experience with another and fear that one person, but is everyone like that? Even odder is when there is no reason (the irrational part), fearing something only because it's different. "They don't eat the same food, that's weird." or "I don't understand what they are saying." - A few phrases used as justification for fear and hatred.
Lets look at this another way. Instead of being xenophobic, how about trying to be a bit more understanding? What? Try to understand someone or something different? Sure, why not? Isn't life all about exploring the unknown? How many television shows do we have focusing on that?
"Space, the final frontier. Our mission to explore this same old world. To seek out life exactly like us. To timidly stay at our own front door." Hmmm, not sure Star Trek would have survived if this were their goal. See the point? Not everyone is going to act, dress or eat the same way we are. There is nothing wrong with that, or anything to be frightened of. If you don't like the way they eat or dress, don't eat or dress like them. But you can still befriend them.
In the city I live, there are many people who are refugees from Myanmar. It would be easy to fear them and have nothing to do with them. They speak a different language and eat different foods. But I've befriended many of them. A few neighbours I have over frequently. They've taught me to make home-made egg rolls. Delicious! We watch movies together, laugh, joke and have a good time. One of my friends makes me laugh because she is pizza obsessed, meanwhile a few others have come over on Karaoke nights to sing. Sure, it can be difficult to understand them at time. But I've been learning to speak their language as they've been learning to speak English. Underneath it all, people are people. There is nothing to be afraid of. Yes, there are some bad people, but there are bad people in whatever culture we are from or there wouldn't be so many prisons and police forces around.
Some questions for discussion:
Do you feel underneath it all, people are the same?
Do you believe we should fear the unknown?
What are some unique foods you've eaten?
When people fear other people just because they are different things get ugly.
ReplyDeleteI think differences is what makes people interesting. Or we'd all be robots.
DeleteHi Jeffrey - where are you? It sounds like you've embraced your home and are learning lots from the peoples. Xenophobia is the right word sometimes - sadly the powers that be need to pay attention and understand that power isn't the best thing ...
ReplyDeleteYes we all need the same things ... security, a roof over our head, food etc ... : I don't think we should fear the unknown ... but I'd fear dominance ...
Foods - I try most things ... and love Mediterranean foods, South African foods and my own British range of foods .. I'm not that knowledgeable to Asian foods .. or some of the other cultures ...
Cheers Hilary
Currently residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
DeleteMy Asian friends all love Thai food so I've become very familiar with it.
Lots of rice, vegetables, meats and hot hot spices.
What you said - people are people. I've lived in several foreign countries and at our core, we are still all just people.
ReplyDeleteBesides, if we were all alike, it would be really boring...
Variety is the spice of life.
DeleteI hope theres no such thing as a truly bad person. It takes courage and the ability to trust ones gut instincts to step out and explore the unknown. Engage!
ReplyDeleteEven 'bad' people feel they are the hero in their own lives.
DeleteI do believe we are all the same underneath. My P post for the challenge was about that very thing. It's the icing that makes us unique.
ReplyDeleteScribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge
And sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's a bad thing. As your 'P' post pointed out. I just watched that episode last night. I remember that episode and I kept shouting at the TV not to walk into the house.
DeleteThose Martians reminded me of the Eloi from the Time Machine. Was that Weena?
But yes, underneath it all, we are the same.
Hello there.
ReplyDeleteIf you were to cut us all open, we all bleed the same red. The only difference between us is colour, personality and male or female. Interestingly, God does not see race, colour, tribe or creed. To Him, there's only one race, the human race.
I used Xenophobia as my x-post during the 2014 challenge.
Entrepreneurial Goddess
X is a tricky word to find something for. I guess eventually, we will all use this word at some point.
Delete