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Post by Igu on Jun 4, 2004 13:21:14 GMT -5
And last time I've read something about racism, it says that if a white child meets a black child he would ask himself "is he painted?", and I think it's just bullshit..
my experience of seeing other types of humans contradicts at 100% this theory, i'm not exagerating but it's like a traumatism, i still remeber THREE "meetings", in all of them i was about 3-4 years old:
-when i saw my cousin who is redhead, I was totally afraid of him, there was my father and my uncle, we were in a market at night, I kept being behind my father. -A black man in a bus, I also kept hiding behind my mother. -during a medical consultation: I didn't let a woman consulting me. she had big blue marks on her skin.
In these three "events" I didn't think they were "painted", no no, I thought they were a sort of monsters.
But now, my cousin is one of my best friends and in south africa I have two black friends. But still, My girl-friends (algeria-south africa) are not.
So now, you know my opinion, answer to the pull!
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Post by geirr on Jun 5, 2004 1:11:04 GMT -5
I think you're missing one, 'All of the above'. It's instinctive for people to be closer to their own and be suspicious of strangers whether they are foreigners or simply people they don't know. When I was in Kindergarten a coach load of American teachers visited my Kindi, most of these teachers were Black and had the biggest 70's Afros you could imagine with the broadest white smiles . Up until then I had never seen a Black person before and I was so petrified that they had to put me in another room. Most children grow out of it but people are a product of their environment so if society is xenophobic then children will grow up to be xenophobic.
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Post by Melnorme on Jun 5, 2004 6:18:39 GMT -5
I think you're missing one, 'All of the above'. It's instinctive for people to be closer to their own and be suspicious of strangers whether they are foreigners or simply people they don't know. When I was in Kindergarten a coach load of American teachers visited my Kindi, most of these teachers were Black and had the biggest 70's Afros you could imagine with the broadest white smiles . Up until then I had never seen a Black person before and I was so petrified that they had to put me in another room. Most children grow out of it but people are a product of their environment so if society is xenophobic then children will grow up to be xenophobic. I had similar ( though less extreme ) experiences. I felt really guilty about it later on, though.
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Post by Graeme on Jun 5, 2004 8:48:47 GMT -5
There is nothing to be ashamed of your reactions to strangeness in your environment when you were a child. Children are not exactly cerebral or in full control of their real or imagined fears. Some children are very easily frightened by strangeness and do cling protectively to their security blankets, and yet others go out of their way, reckless without any fear. I see the fear or xenophobia as a protective process for children who cannot protect themselves, a type of instinct.
I don't have a similar experience. I have always been aloof and disinterested in others, but not frightened. My usual response to outsiders was usually that they were not attractive, not fear or hate.
Australia is a nation of immigrants and there are many different races and ethnic groups, so it would be odd for children not to see children and adults of many races. It would be normal for them. Oddly enough, when I saw my first redheaded person I thought "how ugly". Little did I know that redhair is in my family and would expressed itself in my children. I still think it is an unfortunate trait and definitely the least aesthetic of all hair colours. Don't worry, I tell my children how beautiful they are. I do sound convincing.
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Post by nordicyouth on Jun 5, 2004 10:50:40 GMT -5
Xenophobia is probably inherent, or else certain tribes would not coalesce into certain nation-states based on ethnicity (not phenotype, but in a varying and broader sense). People instinctively feel comfortable seeing familiar features (unless of course ostracized).
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Batesy
Junior Member
Posts: 54
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Post by Batesy on Jun 7, 2004 10:06:55 GMT -5
People are simply afraid of what they are not familiar with/don't understand. It's human nature.
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Post by nordicyouth on Jun 7, 2004 13:21:16 GMT -5
People can understand things and still be afraid. Take arachnophobia for example, where one can understand all about spiders but still be irrationally afraid. It is when fear is irrational and not based on some subconscious interpretation of experience that it is inherent (instinctive). Xenophobia can come in many different degrees, from simply preferring one's own people (familiar aesthetics) to fearing and hating another, superiority and all that...
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Post by Graeme on Jun 8, 2004 11:20:28 GMT -5
Yes you are right, fear can be irrational. However, arachnophobia is learned. I know most children will not be bothered by spiders unless biten by one. Snakes are a different thing, that seems to be more instinctive and primal.
As far as humans to humans, every group prefers its own. I have noticed that in Australia. Mixing occurs mostly with groups that are in minority status, the major groups definitely separate and keep to themselves. Being Maltese, I was able to mix with everyone whereas Italians, Greeks, south Slavs have segregated and chosen to marry within their ethnic groups, even second or third generation Australian born, than the Maltese, Germans and Dutch immigrants or descendents who haven't. My parents have no Maltese sons or daughters-in-law. In fact most non Anglo-Saxon immigrants expect me to have a Maltese spouse. I suppose this lack of mixing is a form of xenophobia.
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