Xenophobia is often confused with racism, but it is an irrational fear of strangers or foreign things. Racism involves hatred for people of a different race or foreign identity. Xenophobia can be treated with therapy and medication, while education and exposure to different ideas can help cure racism. Fear can lead to hate, but not always. Xenophobia can also extend to anyone perceived as an outsider, not just foreigners.
Xenophobia is a difficult word to define due to its common misuse in the English language. In a strict definition the word means an irrational fear of strangers or foreign things, but in everyday speech people may see xenophobia and racism used interchangeably. The brass tips difference has to do with the word racism, which tends to translate as hatred for different things or for people of a different race or foreign identity. The most important words to note here are “fear of” and “hate of.” While fear can lead to hate, it doesn’t always do so.
This difference could best be illustrated with a couple of examples. A person with xenophobia entering a French restaurant might be frightened by the staff, preoccupied by the menu, and feel panicked, confused, or unsettled by the whole experience. The racist person who enters the restaurant is more likely to insult the staff, complain about the food and get angry to be there. Anger and upset are simply not the same thing, and there is more assertive behavior expressed by the racist than by the xenophobe.
It’s also important to keep in mind that phobias are irrational fears. They are not immediately under the control of the person who has them, although they can be cured over time when a person desires a cure. The xenophobe could theoretically initiate various forms of therapy to recover from the adverse fear of foreign things if he so desired. This could include exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, and the condition could also be treated to some extent with anxiety medication, which could help control the frightened or panicked response to strangers or things and people. strange.
There are also cures for racism, but they may be along a different path. Education and access to different ideas are important. Racists or other discriminatory people may not need a therapist or anxiety medication, although some may, to overcome ideas of anger or hatred towards a specific group.
Certainly, it has been argued that hate and racism arise out of fear, although it is not always possible to prove this to be the case. However, many organizations that target different races do everything they can to exploit fear, elevating it to unreasonable levels so that participants are willing to act in violent or aggressive ways. While it is true that these fears are irrational, most people who experience them are not yet experiencing the real phobia. There are certainly people with xenophobia who become racist, but not all of them do.
One thing worth mentioning is that xenophobia shouldn’t just be the fear of foreigners. It could be the fear of anyone who has differences or is perceived as an outsider. This could mean genuine fear of people within a nation, fearful thoughts about people with different religions, gender preferences or sexual preferences, and the list could go on and on. What people fear may depend on each individual, but the greater the irrational fear of difference, the more xenophobic a person can be.
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