Xenophobia – intense or
irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries
How
many times have we opened up a science fiction book and xenophobia
was one of the reasons for antagonism between humans and aliens? Or
one set of aliens and another? What about fantasy stories where
there's a war because one kingdom despises the people of another just
because they worship another god or are different from the
antagonistic kingdom? How
much do we see in our own world today?
I have
heard more xenophobic statements in the last ten years than I have in
my entire life. People, not just in this nation but around the world,
have expressed their distrust of, fear of contamination from, and
violent diatribes against people from other countries. It's both sad
and disturbing.
We are
in a world of global communication. Get online and you can reach
people in most areas around the world. There are places too poor to
have internet access, but they can be reached in other ways. The
point of this is we can speak to millions of people. And there are
some who are being silenced by their own governments.
The
fear of outside contact has led to the stifling of open communication
in those countries. They don't have the rights we do. But how free
are we? There are things we've been hearing in the news, reading in
stories online, that make me wonder just how long it will be before
we are silenced.
Xenophobia
is a terrible thing. It leads to misunderstandings, wars, and
suffering. It closes borders.
It stifles communication. It deprives people of outside ideas, which
could expand knowledge and creativity. Open borders help open minds.
Open minds lead to understanding. Understanding leads to peace.
