06-13-2020, 08:20 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2020, 08:29 AM by John J. Xenakis.)
** 13-Jun-2020 World View: Xenophobia
Strictly speaking, the word "xenophobia," which is one of my favorite
words ever, doesn't mean hatred of some people, though it may.
If you go back to the Greek roots, it literally means "fear of
foreigners or strangers." My father once told me that in ancient
Greece it referred to invaders from the north.
It has a much broader reach than the word "racism." It's an umbrella
word that can refer any of a number of emotions towards another nation
or society: Fear of power, fear of invasion, jealousy, anger, hatred,
impatience, annoyance, and so forth.
I use the word "xenophobia" frequently to describe an attitude of the
people of one nation or society to another that might lead to war in
this generational Crisis era. It's frequently used in conjunction
with the world "nationalism," which refers to an inward emotion, while
"xenophobia" refers to an outward emotion. This is contrasted to the
Unraveling era of the 1990s, when different words would be used, such
as xenophilia, accepting, compromising, impartiality, or indifference.
(06-06-2020, 08:29 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: > A few thoughts about xenophobia.
> I do not consider myself particularly hateful towards the people
> of Russia or China. I can see the ugly times that led them towards
> revolution. I can feel pity for them for having had to endure
> Stalin and Mao. I can think poorly of their leaders and elites
> autocratic decisions to expand, and point out a need for
> containment, for the Domino Theory. Autocrats are quite willing to
> see the people suffer for their own gain.
> But that does not mean I hate the people. I distrust the policy of
> their leaders, yes. But I do not particularly hate the people. I
> feel this shared among the folk I’ve talked to, though I
> acknowledge Massachusetts as perhaps biased on this.
Strictly speaking, the word "xenophobia," which is one of my favorite
words ever, doesn't mean hatred of some people, though it may.
If you go back to the Greek roots, it literally means "fear of
foreigners or strangers." My father once told me that in ancient
Greece it referred to invaders from the north.
It has a much broader reach than the word "racism." It's an umbrella
word that can refer any of a number of emotions towards another nation
or society: Fear of power, fear of invasion, jealousy, anger, hatred,
impatience, annoyance, and so forth.
I use the word "xenophobia" frequently to describe an attitude of the
people of one nation or society to another that might lead to war in
this generational Crisis era. It's frequently used in conjunction
with the world "nationalism," which refers to an inward emotion, while
"xenophobia" refers to an outward emotion. This is contrasted to the
Unraveling era of the 1990s, when different words would be used, such
as xenophilia, accepting, compromising, impartiality, or indifference.
