xenophobia/xenophilia

[Blitzkommando]

These are the two sides of one coin. On the one side you have those that fear and detest all cultures other than their own. On the other side you have those that obsess and fanaticize all outside cultures and shun their own.

In both cases I'm pretty well sick of seeing them. Xenophobia is a silly old belief that is best left in the 20th century where it peaked with Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, American internment and Soviet purges. Millions have died from this stupid idea that outside cultures should be shunned, feared and in turn removed if not destroyed. It's still present everywhere, though some places more-so than others. I won't get into where, or why, just simply that it is rather pathetic that people can't get over themselves in the 21st century.

The later of the two though, xenophilia, seems to be growing at an incredible rate. I suppose it might be an overcompensation for the xenophobia of the last century but really that is best left in history where it belongs, to learn from it and not make the same mistake. The irony of xenophilia is that while it celebrates outside cultures it does just as xenophobia did to these peoples' own culture(s). It is almost like being racist or ethnocentric against one's own person and culture which comes off as even more insane to me than xenophobia.

I see no reason against having an interest, even a highly focused interest, in other's cultures. In fact, that's great. Having a strong interest in a single area like that can be great when it comes to business with that other culture by knowing them better. But to lift them above other cultures is just as bad as the xenophobics that did the same thing of their cultures.

Cultures are different, diverse, and fascinating. Having pride in your own culture and heritage can be great for meeting others within your culture. But when you start to shun and discount others simply because of their culture you are a bigot, ethnocentrist, and depending on the situation, racist (if you are one to believe in sub-categories within homo sapiens sapiens). Appreciate cultures and peoples for what they are and attempt to understand them more than simply shun or idolize them.

[Weeaboolits]

This annoys the shit out of me as well.

[Tessu]

Agreed, and well said. While I don't see much xenophobia around here, I believe I HAVE seen several xenophilic people. I'm not sure if it's to such an extreme, but I can't count how many times I've heard "where i live sucks, i'd rather be in [wherever]" and then going on and on about how America stinks and France rules even though they've never been there and don't know more than the language.
Might be going a little off-topic,
but still, I agree with ya.


Damn it, I ruined my 42 posts.

[Seority]

Notice how all those countries where strong within themselves, yet all practiaclly have fallen. I wonder if "shunning ones culture" and "not caring about ones culture" are the same thing?

[Solstis]

I want to ask people that claim that America "has no culture" if they've ever left their homes.

[ABDUR101]

America is a young country, true, and while it doesn't have something like the Great Wall of China, the pyramids(pick your set, there are quite afew) or many other 'wonders' that have lasted thousands of years; I think many americans feel like our history doesn't feel as grand as those around us.

Everything has a start, a middle and an end. The pyramids, the great wall, all excellent things that served their purposes; but for the most part those who built them have long since disolved or been conquered, all that remains are their edifaces.

Think of it like this, in two-thousand years, Mt. Rushmore and perhaps even the Statue of Liberty will still be standing, perhaps dilapidated; but standing none the less. Where will America be? Will it even still be America?

What of our own heritage, the masses who came here for freedom of oppressors from all walks of life. By being xenophobic to other cultures, it's sort of self-damning; every american has roots from somewhere else; very very few are true native americans. We all have histories that span from elsewhere in the world.

Maybe theres a part of americans that reach out to that, because they feel the history we have as a country isn't all that great; or maybe they just see too many anime or read too many novels of the exploits from other countries and think "Why is america so boring".

Do they wonder what perhaps Japanese teenagers think, or even Russian teens? I'm sure there are just as many people in other countries who romantise America and living here; but then once they're here they realise it's nothing great or special; in the end we're all just people getting by.

Enjoy and partake of other cultures, broaden your horizons and seek the history of why things are. But don't neglect your own history, it's just as rich if you look.

[CelestialBlade]

If we'd take the time to learn about other cultures and other religions, we wouldn't have wars.

[Kylie]

I live in The South, where I've seen a lot of racism and people trying to be supremacists, yet I turned out all right. I admit that i used to be uncomfortable around African Americans, but then it hit me that... Hey, I didn't choose to be white or who my parents are, so maybe I should apply the same to everyone else. I think that thought worked. For the rest of my life so far, I've tried to give people a chance to show who they are, stayed away from stereotypes, and voted Democrat :) (joke).

As for not being proud of America, I don't see how people could not be. I mean, disagree or agree with whatever, I've always thought what we have going on is great. :-? I think people that say they'd rather live somewhere else would mostly be miserable anywhere.

[CelestialBlade]

I live in The South, where I've seen a lot of racism and people trying to be supremacists, yet I turned out all right. I admit that i used to be uncomfortable around African Americans, but then it hit me that... Hey, I didn't choose to be white or who my parents are, so maybe I should apply the same to everyone else. I think that thought worked. For the rest of my life so far, I've tried to give people a chance to show who they are, stayed away from stereotypes, and voted Democrat :) (joke).

As for not being proud of America, I don't see how people could not be. I mean, disagree or agree with whatever, I've always thought what we have going on is great. :-? I think people that say say they'd rather live somewhere else would mostly be miserable anywhere.
I can relate, I went to a Catholic grade- and high-school, and somewhere around my Junior year I decided to become an agnostic, for lack of a better term. A person's demographic definitely doesn't have to fully determine what they become. Living in Kentucky, I can relate with a lot of the racism you've encountered as well.

People can say what they want about America, but the things we hate about this country are going to be evident in any other part of the world, because we're all human beings and human greed and fear is the root of all evil. You won't escape your government not caring about you, you won't escape not having a voice, you won't escape corporations owning you. The enemy is human nature, not a country.

[Weeaboolits]

If we'd take the time to learn about other cultures and other religions, we wouldn't have wars.Oh, we would still have wars, remember the civil war? That was between citizens of the same country don't forget.

[Shiro_Ryuu]

THE Civil War? There were lots of Civil wars in many other countries, like Japan, Finland, Russia, Guatemala, and many other countries, not just America. But yeah, I do agree that same culture doesn't necessarily mean that they're not going to have wars. It's just human nature to go to war.

Anyway, I guess I'm one person who may be the first person many may call a Xenophile since I have interest in Asian culture, reject Catholicism which is a religion that the majority of Latinos follow in favor of Eastern and Pagan religions, and break every single stereotype of Latinos except that I love the food. But I'm not entirely against my own culture, it's just that I'm being who I am. I'm not like Wigger who wants to be black and hates being white, I accept that I am Latino, but it is a fact that I am an "Uncle Tom" if you would say it that way, don't have any of the traditional values that most Latinos have, and I speak Japanese better than Spanish. Some of these old Latino people my mom talks to (the ones who criticize me for not having kids at my young age) seem to be reluctant to talk to anyone that doesn't speak any Spanish.

[Weeaboolits]

THE Civil War? There were lots of Civil wars in many other countries, like Japan, Finland, Russia, Guatemala, and many other countries, not just America. But yeah, I do agree that same culture doesn't necessarily mean that they're not going to have wars. It's just human nature to go to war.

Anyway, I guess I'm one person who may be the first person many may call a Xenophile since I have interest in Asian culture, reject Catholicism which is a religion that the majority of Latinos follow in favor of Eastern and Pagan religions, and break every single stereotype of Latinos except that I love the food. But I'm not entirely against my own culture, it's just that I'm being who I am. I'm not like Wigger who wants to be black and hates being white, I accept that I am Latino, but it is a fact that I am an "Uncle Tom" if you would say it that way, don't have any of the traditional values that most Latinos have, and I speak Japanese better than Spanish. Some of these old Latino people my mom talks to (the ones who criticize me for not having kids at my young age) seem to be reluctant to talk to anyone that doesn't speak any Spanish.The American Civil War, it's not often it's necessary for me to specify, so I didn't. ;/

I think the topic more refers to blind, fanatical idolization as opposed to a sincere interest. There's a lot of people who think Japan is a magical world of spiky hair, giant lizards, gumdrops, and catgirls; and to be honest, they're a pain in the ass.

Stereotypes are shit anyway, you shouldn't be acting a certain way soley due to your skin's melanin content, that's just stupid. The black man trying to look like a "gangsta" with his pants on his ankles looks just as stupid as the white one.

[Shiro_Ryuu]

Yeah, I'm not like that. I went to Japan and experienced it for myself, and I still want to go back there, as do most of my friends who went there. Just have to lift the fantasies of school girls, Godzilla, and anime and realize that they're people just like us, and that the girls will not have sex with you simply for being a foreigner, and you'll be fine.

[Blitzkommando]

The American Civil War, it's not often it's necessary for me to specify, so I didn't. ;/
When talking to Americans, generally, yes. But on an international forum it can lead to confusion. The point as it is however is mostly valid. Still, often civil wars are sparked by differences in culture (culture also defines government). In Spain it was the communists versus the fascists for instance. Simply put, civil wars while between people of the same nation often involves people of entirely different cultures as well.


I think the topic more refers to blind, fanatical idolization as opposed to a sincere interest. There's a lot of people who think Japan is a magical world of spiky hair, giant lizards, gumdrops, and catgirls; and to be honest, they're a pain in the ass.
Bingo. Any type of -phile (everything from Anglophiles to Nipponophiles) are just as annoying as each other. One in particular that I remember was a girl who was convinced that Ireland (when asked she would never specify which one) was God's gift to man. She would completely sideline the issues of domestic terrorism and civil war but would be quick to point out their accents and 'rugged good looks'.

[Adriano]

This does make me wonder, those bi-cultural households out there, what must be done to really keep either xenophilia/phobia toa minimum.

[Solstis]

This does make me wonder, those bi-cultural households out there, what must be done to really keep either xenophilia/phobia toa minimum.

Throw a dart and hope for the best.

I would say to take the middle-ground, but there probably isn't one. Limit your hate to small things that'll embarrass your family when you're older.

[Blitzkommando]

My 'multicultural' background is pretty nonexistent, however, growing up as an Air Force brat changes your outlook significantly. When you grow up where the majority of adults would get in various (and increasing) forms of trouble for racial/ethnic/or sexist remarks it makes them ignore those traits and instead focus on more important things, such as how well the persons in question do their jobs regardless of their background. In that respect, I grew up seeing people of every culture and thought nothing of it other than things like, "So that's what the Turkish Air Force uniform looks like..." More or less, I've grown to observe people for who they are rather than what they are. Meaning, an asshole is an asshole no matter what their background, just as a friend is a friend.

It's a different way of growing up from what often is self-imposed racial clustering. For instance most of the towns here are high in a specific ethnicity, many of which are predominantly caucasian (as in, 95+%). While going in towards Dayton the number flips in favor of those of African heritage. In the military there is no such thing and every group is represented equally. So, while there might very well be racists within it, they keep quiet if for no other reason than they want to keep their jobs. But also, considering the makeup and the beliefs of most of those who serve, they also likely fear having the shit beaten out of themselves for being racist.

So, I guess a big part of it is simply knowing to keep your trap shut. If you don't show your children how you hate a group then, maybe, they will come to ignoring those factors as I do and instead focus on people as being just other people rather than having X color skin or Y religion other than those simply being parts of what makes that person who they are. Children will only come to focus on those things if they are taught to do so. If they aren't taught do look at those factors first, then they should hopefully focus on the other (far more important) factors of what people are.