Immigrants Struggle With Xenophobia In The United States

Jeremy Adam Smith’s “Our Fear of Immigrants” proposes a sympathetic outlook towards immigrants. Smith wants the disgust and loathe of citizens to stop, and instead for them to start retaining empathy for newcomers. While reading the article, there is a sense of fear that people hold for immigrants. Many of these fears are mainly blamed on many motives such as psychological reasoning, genetic cognitive, and social status. Although Smith provides plenty logic behind the behavior of citizens, there should also be the point of view behind the immigrants themselves.

American fear in immigrants is a recurring theme since 9/11, to the point where people have been fabricating absurd notions about immigrants. ¨People fear that immigrants…

Racial prejudice and nativism are still social issues that define our present reality and affect us all. Everyday, immigrants in America find themselves victims of hate crimes like genocide because of their race and ethnicity (Wong 2). Genocide, “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group,” shows itself in racial crimes

In South Africa, It didn't just matter about if you were not black, white or any other color. It just mattered if someone was not an Afrikaan or Boer (white

Another approach which can be used to analysis the article is assimilation; prior to the time of these deportation policies it could be argued those in favour of the policy believe that there may be a lack of assimilation from the Mexican community. Many of Trump voters have displayed their feelings towards Mexicans migrants; for example, a large amount of Trump supporters ‘think that undocumented immigrants are more likely than American citizens to commit serious crimes’ (Doherty, 2016). This demonstrates the lack of interactions, whereby many Americans have a shared negative assumption on the migrant’s actions. The Majority of these ideas stem from negative images of migrants evoked by the media. More so, immigration legislations have contributed to the anti-immigrant movement in the US. Usually, the fear of foreigners plays a role in the anti-immigration mindset; since most believe that their culture and language may be affected.

One major issue society faces today is the unwillingness of people to accept others who are different from themselves. This is most recently exemplified by the United States’ change of its attitude toward immigration. As people are unwilling to accept others, they start to fear those who are different from themselves. These people begin to fear the unknown and make assumptions about those who are from a different country, speak a different language, or practice a different religion, leading to intense xenophobia. Although as a society we are improving, the improvements we have made are insufficient. We need to improve to the point that this deeply rooted fear is abolished.

The patterns contributing to the current hostility occur globally, starting from right-wing politicians acting out their exaggerated roles of protectors to the overwhelming amount of negative information presented to the public. The extent to which the negative attitude toward the immigrants has expanded is changing every day, everywhere. However, the small

Racial oppression and ethnic prejudice made the South Africa in unrest in the past. In 1948, South Africa implemented the Apartheid to separate black community and white community, and this behavior affected South Africa for a long time. Apartheid made this country suffered the racial oppression for a half-century; therefore, between the black community and white community is filled with oppression, discriminate, hostility and carnage. Although this is an unforgettable memory for the South Africa, luckily, they have Nelson Mandela, who is a great people for this country, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help them rebuild their country. At the time of transition to democracy, Desmond Tutu as a leader of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he used his intelligence and spirit to consider a third way to heal the past, but not punish the atrocities. Desmond Tutu didn't choose the Nuremberg trails and national amnesia. Instead, he considered a third way to take place of these two extreme courses of action. In my opinion, it is

Xenophobia - an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. The idea of xenophobia was heavily prominent in the 2016 presidential campaign, so it is not surprising that it was voted the word of the year for 2016 (Dictionary.com, 2016). Donald Trump is considered to be an xenophobic politician based on his comments made against different ethnic groups, such as Mexicans; however, it is difficult to understand how a generation that supports diversity elected a xenophobic president.

Jacob Olesen’s definition of Xenophobia is “the irrational sense of fear experienced about a person or situations that are perceived as strange or foreign.”

Nazi practices during World War II were so horrific that many countries began to feel shame about internal racial problems in home countries. In France, the United Kingdom, and the United States liberal politicians and intellectuals began to condemn racism against non-whites and push for civil rights reforms. South Africa, however, did not follow the same route. The White minority of South Africa decided to build a state based on total "separation" (apartheid) of whites and blacks where the former would totally dominate the latter in political, economic, and social spheres. The policy of apartheid would eventually be condemned by civil rights advocates around the world as "the most repressive government since Nazi Germany" (Robinson, 1985). Apartheid was built on racism, discrimination, and oppression of the majority by the minority. But as a policy it began after the end of World War II in a particular context of the nation.

Xenophobia is a Social and Political issue in South Africa which I believe needs revolution. Xenophobia, ‘the fear of and prejudice against black immigrants’, exists in my community, Rosettenville as there have been attacks on foreigners. African immigrants have been labeled as the threatening ‘other’, a danger to the natives of South Africa. This perception that the ‘other’ contaminates the nation and brings no value to South Africa is what I believe needs to be changed as it has incited violent attacks and claimed innocent lives of African foreign nationals. According to Inocent Moyo 2015, ”the imagined community suggests that African immigrants are not only undesirables, but that the South African state should disassociate itself from

According to Xenophobia and Violence in South Africa (2008) the reasons for the attacks differ and they include:

3. Toxic xenophobia – minor individual is fundamentally different from and outside our imagined community AND is trying to destroy that which major group holds most dear, freedom. (Jones, 2011)

Many have fallen into the trap of rebuffing a historical analysis of contemporary South African problems. Almost habitually, the critics of historical analysis accuse its proponents of turning a blind eye on failings of the post apartheid administration led by the ANC. ‘Apartheid cannot be blamed on that is wrong in South Africa’ they seem to say. Deservedly that statement is true. While race politics falls outside the scope of the study, it is difficult to understand agitation relating to service delivery entirely outside