Xenophobia is a word that sounds strong. It is a type of prejudice characterized by aversion, hostility, repudiation or hatred towards foreigners, which can be based, among other things, on historical, cultural and religious factors. When we talk about it in the media, you mean “Extreme”?”? More or less organized groups that have committed a crime against a person of another ethnicity or country. But racism isn’t just that, is it?
We rarely talk about everyday situations in most cities where we live, nor are there comments on the small phrases or ideas that are in some people’s minds, for example, is it considered xenophobic or not described?Such a lazy person based solely on his place of origin?Let’s think about it!
“Our true nationality is humanity. ” ? H. G. Wells?
As we have said before, xenophobia is not simply an aggression of a person because of his nationality, it is clear that this behavior causes great suffering to those who are victims of this kind of prejudice and to society at large, but the reality is that xenophobia involves much more.
The central idea is the social exclusion of another person because of its origin, which is generally different from that committed acts of xenophobia, this exclusion can be achieved through direct behaviors, such as not renting a house or apartment to a person because of their nationality or skin color.
This also includes attitudes and beliefs about these people, how to consider them petty or “intriguing”: this is where stereotypes come into play. The reality is that even if we don’t engage in violent behavior, we can be xenophobic so we think about them, since the term also refers to attitudes of fear and rejection.
“No one is born hating the other because of the color of their skin, origin or religion. “Nelson Mandela?
If in theory we are such an advanced society, why do cases of xenophobia steadily increase?Perhaps the current situation of uncertainty in which we live contributes to this. There have already been a number of terrorist threats that we have seen materializing near us by people. The fact that this common factor is linked to attacks and aggression makes it a trigger for xenophobia.
The context in which we live today keeps us alert, with anxiety and fear, ready to flee or attack, makes us guilty of the discomfort and insecurity that we live in our daily lives And to whom is all this attributed?The ones that are different from us.
Moreover, we tend to move away from these people, the lack of direct contact with people from other cultures does not allow us to compare (and eliminate) these unfounded ideas that we have about the danger they may pose, this is another major risk. factor for the development of xenophobia.
“Should we learn to live together as brothers or succumb together as fools?”?Martin Luther King Jr. ?
We can easily deduce that the first step in preventing xenophobia would be to approach and talk to strangers, dive and learn from other cultures, this will help us feel empathy with them and understand that they are ordinary people, that they are not so different from us and, of course, that most are not terrorists seeking to destroy our lives. In addition, we hope to learn more about their history and the challenges they face as a community.
The truth is that one does not stop to think about what causes a person to leave his place of origin putting his life at stake, if he were sure that he would not have embarked on such a difficult journey, sacrificing contact with it. Homeland and his family, to live an adventure of more dangerous than exciting nuances, put their loved ones and themselves at risk because the option of staying where they are would be, in most cases, a certain death.
It is important that government institutions carry out truly effective integration programmes, where citizens actually know people who come from outside and professionals can intervene in conflicts; in conclusion, it is important that real information about this situation be transmitted, without secret political interests that encourage fear and hatred.
Images courtesy of William Stitt, Eddy Lackmann and Vlad Tchompalov.