X is for Xenophobic

X is for Xenophobia

Xenophobia "deep rooted, irrational hatred towards foreigners" (Oxford English Dictionary)Comes from the Greek word xenos meaning strange, foreigner and phobos meaning fear.

Xenophobia is quite a touchy subject at the moment to put it mildly. Xenophobia is the fear of anything perceived to be foreign or strange. It can manifest itself in many ways involving how people perceive an "outgroup". An outgroup is a social group that a person does not identify themselves as being part of for example a person's ingroup could be the Labour party and the outgroup could be the Conservative Party.
People can fear losing their identity, be suspicious of the outgroup's activities, show aggression and have a desire to eliminate it's presence.
This was shown in it's worst form by the Nazi Party and the Jews in the Second World War and also by other dictatorships the world over.  
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA) is a human rights declaration adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 in Vienna, Austria. They urge that "governments take immediate measures and develop strong policies to prevent and combat all forms and manifestations of xenophobia and racism".

There are two main forms of xenophobia. The first is fear and hatred towards a new or recent group who have come into an established society for example: immigrants, towards an established group who are not part of the larger ingroup or a group who has expanded by territorial conquest. This can lead to violence and hostilities, which in turn could lead to pogroms and genocide.
The second form is primarily cultural and the objects of the phobia may be for example foreign loan words in the national language. This type of xenophobia doesn't often lead to aggression, but political campaigns can result in cultural or linguistic purification.

What could cause someone to become xenophobic about an individual or group of people? A negative experience whether it be physical, emotional or economic with an individual or a few members of the outgroup in question could lead to the experience being over-generalized to all members of the outgroup. You could be conditioned by your parents, peers or propaganda to feel xenophobic about an outgroup.
We all see this in our everyday lives. I often hear the phrase "I'm not racist but...." which usually means that something racist is going to come out of that person's mouth. The other favourite phrase that people say is "They come over here taking our jobs!" Who are "they" and if there is a job that no one else has applied for are "they" taking that job?
Everybody can be a nasty person at some point in their day. If a white, British male yells at you in a car park are you going to become xenophobic about all white, British men you meet that day? If you are white and British yourself I doubt that, but I have seen people who I thought were nice individuals turn on a race of people just because one person from that group of people said something nasty to them. Where is the sense in that? Unfortunately though this type of behaviour is what leads to Xenophobia.

There are also a lot of groups around who disguise themselves under names with political meanings and even stand in elections. They call themselves patriotic and claim that they want England to be English. The thing is if you delve deep into their manifestos you will see lots of racist connotations and you only have to Goggle or YouTube some of these groups to see the hatred they show towards other ethnic groups. 

Personally I try to like everyone. The only reason I won't like someone is if they have done something to upset me or a loved one. If that person happens to be a foreigner or belongs to a religion different to mine I won't hate everybody of that nationality or religion just because of that individuals actions. It may seem simplistic, but really it's not.

I am the granddaughter of an Irish immigrant. I am Catholic (not practicing). If you are nice to me, I'll be nice to you whether you be British, foreign, Black, White, a Jew or a Muslim. 

Spread the love and make your own opinions based on your own experiences. Be brave, stand up and tell people if you think they are being xenophobic or racist.

Remember Edmund Burke's quote above, because it stands true just as much today as it ever did.

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