Xenophobia implies rejection of foreigners or ethnic groups different from one's own.
The term xenophobia comes from the Greek concept composed of xénos ( "foreigner" ) and phobos ( "fear" ). Xenophobia, therefore, refers to hatred, suspicion, hostility and rejection towards foreigners . The word is also often used in an extended form as a phobia towards different ethnic groups or towards people whose social, cultural and political physiognomy is unknown.
Xenophobia is an ideology that consists of the rejection of cultural identities that are different from one's own. Unlike racism , xenophobia proposes accepting foreigners and immigrants, as long as their sociocultural assimilation is achieved.
Xenophobia and prejudice
It can be said that this type of discrimination is based on different historical, religious, cultural and national prejudices , which lead the xenophobe to justify segregation between different ethnic groups in order not to lose their own identity. On the other hand, there is often an economic prejudice that considers immigrants as competition for the resources available in a nation .
For this reason, the economic and social crisis that many countries suffered at the end of the 20th century was the starting point for an aggressive manifestation of xenophobia, which was reflected from banners and speeches to acts of violence of all kinds. The media, for their part, often collaborate with the development of xenophobia by presenting foreign customs and cultures as strange and alien dimensions to national identity.
Many migrants suffer xenophobia daily.
A phenomenon inherent to human beings
It should be noted that anthropologists have noticed situations of xenophobia in archaic peoples, which shows that xenophobia is a phenomenon that has always been present in human behavior.
This is not difficult to believe, since our species is characterized by a thirst for dominance that does not consider the material or emotional consequences, and that can lead to self-destruction if not stopped in time . First of all, there is a clear difference between protecting what is one's own, what one has truly earned, and defending something that we have inherited, that we may not even understand or use.
Many times xenophobia is based on this absurd protection of values and customs of the past, which should not be maintained in the present, simply because they are not lost. In short, the attitude of many people can be summarized in the saying "better evil known than good to know." There are many despicable traditions that persist thanks to this obtuse way of "thinking."
Consequences of xenophobia
Defining xenophobia and understanding its negative nature is not difficult for an open-minded person, but penetrating the shell of those who refuse progress can be almost impossible. It is enough to take a look at the groups and companies that characterize each side to save us time in the decision of "opting for xenophobia or diversity": Google is a company with employees of all ethnicities and nationalities, and thanks to this continues to break down technological barriers; The opposite example can be found by everyone in their own context , although it is probably made up of men in suits with black and white ideas.
Giving in to xenophobia is not only "rejecting the foreigner", which in itself is no small thing, but deeply hurting millions of people who have left their countries of origin for different reasons, often out of necessity , millions of children who They grow up in cities where they speak a different language, dress differently, where features are inevitably different and all this makes them a focus of ridicule and abuse. Do we really want to hurt all those people, or welcome them with open arms so they can tell us their own stories?