NationStates Jolt Archive

Lately I have seen many people pushing for the idea that attempting to stop illegal aliens or promote legislation against them is racist. Whether good or not, xenophobia is not racism, especially in the case of America, where there is no one historical defining race (aside from the Native Americans). I find it ridiculous that many people are pushing the label of "racist" on the minutemen and others against illegal immigration. You shouldn't blame a country for wishing for very, very slow immigration laws. It is not racist. There are, in fact, hispanics in agreement with legislation against illegal aliens (ie: http://euphoria.jarkolicious.com/journal/2006/04/10/2147/).

Xenophobia is not the desire to stop foreigners from waiving their home country's flag. Waving your home country's flag is not against the law here. People are not going to stone you for doing it, and chances are they won't in many places throughout the world - although I'm not sure how another nation would take you planting a US flag in their country. But for hundreds of years, English has been the primary language of US-owned mainland territory. I dare you to go to Mexico and protest to let them make all illegal immigrants in their nation legal or to produce everything in English as well as Spanish. What you'll get is arrested. In Mexico, it is illegal for foreigners to influence their politics. The most ironic thing is Mexico is pushing for a more open immigration policy from the US, but it doesn't expect it of itself.

Xenophobia is not irrational, although it can be. The idea that it is always is what offends me the most. I consider myself rather liberal. I believe that welfare has its benefits, that environmentalism is very important, marijuana should be legalized (even though I have never used it) and I've always believed our current president is an idiot (I voted for Kerry). However, I do not support the legalization of these illegal immigrants. Two generations ago, my great grandmother had to WORK for her right to live in the United States... and she was a Canadian citizen, white and English-speaking! I believe that individuals should have to follow well-defined processes before they are legalized by any foreign nation.

Xenophobia is not irrational, although it can be. The idea that it is always is what offends me the most.
Well, the commonly agreed on definition of phobia says otherwise.

Good point. It's hard to think of any examples of rational irrational fears.

I would also mention that zenophobia is fear of outsiders. Thus I think it can apply in this case.

Xenophobia is the irrational fear of those outside your nation, that is your society/race.

EDIT: Damn, beaten to the punch

Well, it is not about race... well, I guess you could argue rascism is a more discerning form of xenophobia.

But both are stupid.

We have that problem.
Half of our nation is afraid of our radical neighbors, the other half does not like the color of these same neighbors (they are pink socialist bastards).

The wise government had outlawed anything related to these very neighbors.
Then it's no use to speak or even think about these neighbors, they (by our law) do not exist. No more racism, no more xenophobia.
Just us.


The High Priest
A Purple Conservative Holy Man

...Two generations ago, my great grandmother had to WORK for her right to live in the United States... and she was a Canadian citizen, white and English-speaking! I believe that individuals should have to follow well-defined processes before they are legalized by any foreign nation.

Not to ignore the rest of your post, because I thought it was quite good, but this last statement compelled me to comment...

...these immigrant rallies don't really bother me on most levels. In my opinion, they are completely counterproductive anyways. The illegal immigrants in this country will never sway public opinion to their side of the fence as long as they act like this is a civil rights issue...because it isn't one.

No, illegal immigrants and their protests piss me off because they are spitting in the face of every immigrant who ever came here legally, took the time to learn the language, and worked to assimilate their families into Amercian culture.

These illegals want to have their cake and eat it too...it'll never wash.

Well, the commonly agreed on definition of phobia says otherwise.
No it doesn't

If you live in a small enough place that everyone knows each other you can safely assume that everyone is honest and acts lawfully. Why? Well, if somebody would hurt somebody else everyone would know it was he, and he couldn't get away with it. Being able to trust everyone is an advantage as long as everyone is trustworthy. But if you trust everyone you are gullible, and criminal arriving in your village could easily take advantage of you. So, how avoid that without losing your trust? Simple, don't trust strangers until they have proven that they intend to stay in your place, and have invested enough time that they'd make a loss from staying so long just to rip you off. But what is it called if you distrust a person without other reason than that he's a stranger? Xenophobia.

So, yes having an irrational distrust and "fear" of strangers can be a rational strategy.

Of course this is not relevant in all cases where people are xenophobic, but there is no self contradiction in talking about rational xenophobia.



To the OP: Yes, hating all immigrants, or imagining that all immigrants are different from the ones born in your place is racism. And the fact that 'Americans' is not a race is completely irrelevant. There is only one existing human race, so all racism is about some group that is not a race.

And the only relation between racism and rational xenophobia is that ability for the latter is the evolutionary advantage of the quality that also enables you to succumb to the former.