Theories Of Xenophobia

The topic of immigrants has been debated for centuries, and has been an even larger topic for discussion since the attack on the two towers in 2001. Many people contemplate whether immigrants are a reason to be scared, not; and if so, then why? If one finds themselves asking this conflicting question, Jeremy Adam Smith’s article, Our Fear of Immigrants, provides an answer. Relying on research from psychologists and sociologists, Smith gives sufficient evidence for why immigrants bring such intense feelings of both hatred and compassion, and recommends a way to increase empathy toward them.

1. Text 1 “Experts Cite Underlying Causes for UK Riots” is a news report by Al Pessin published on Voice of America website the 10th of August 2011. The report consists of people giving an estimate of the causes for the UK riots. The inhabitants of London believe at first sight the riots are a response in reaction to lack of jobs and cuts in government services following a

Our Fear of Immigrants by Jeremy Adam Smith uses emotional scenarios and scientific evidence to support his question of why people fear immigrants. Smith never clearly states his point in the paper, but he wants to address the issue of prejudice against immigrants. This is easy to figure out because of the content of the excerpt, and the headings that guides the reader to an additional support of the idea throughout the passage.

The reason why Smith questioned the credibility of Xenophobia was because of the way the classmates of Rodrigo reacted to him getting deported. Rodrigo’s classmates sent their friend a video, a valentine, and even had their parents help them write their congressmen as well as speak to the media in order to help get their friend back. Smith stated, “If xenophobia has such a deep evolutionary and psychological roots, what explains Ms. Wagner’s fourth-grade class, which rallied to support their friend Rodrigo after he was sent back to Mexico?” (Smith,754).

In the essay “Our Fear of Immigrants,” Jeremy Adam Smith writes about why it is we fear immigrants. Smith divides his essay with numerous examples and comparisons, through biological, sociological and psychological explanations. As unorthodox as it sounds, our hesitation towards outsiders can be explained in various ways we never believed imaginable; in Smith’s investigation, he unveils the bewildering reality about the contrasts between ourselves, as adults, and children when it comes to immigration. He begins with a distressful story of a classroom of 4th graders from Berkeley, California, who missed their classmate named Rodrigo when he didn’t return from Christmas break, due to his parents’ expired visa. Rodrigo’s classmates thought that it was so unfair, that they complained to their congressmen. Smith then contrasts this response of empathetic children to unsympathetic adults from Berkeley, California, who protested against immigrants who seek shelter in the U.S for the families. Smith pondered the questions: “Why do immigrants provoke such strong feelings of both empathy and revulsion, a polarization that pits fourth graders in Berkeley against the citizens of Murrieta?” and “What characteristics and qualities do Rodrigo’s classmates possess

“A Marxist-radical variant of this model is that racial and ethnic divisions are merely smoke screens, forms of false consciousness kept alive by the elites to mask their economic and political power and to divide the forces of resistance. The true interests of the working class are in fighting the owners of the means of production, but false consciousness along ethnic or religious lines hinders it from doing so (Wetherell and Potter 1992, chap. 1; Stavenhagen 1990, 16)...the general notion that below ethnic conflict lies economic and political inequality remains more or less the same” (p.

For fear that immigrants are crossing the border illegally, many Americans find it a threat. Dancher Keltner, University of California-Berkley states “any newcomer represents a threat to the person who has power” (753). Native hierarchies, that have wealth tend to think about what people in their in-groups can offer, instead of what others in the out-group can contribute to the table. When this happens, it can lead to people being cliché. However, people who are at the top of the hierarchies, who don’t think carefully, could embrace a certain kind of behavior towards immigrants. Keltner says “powerful people are more likely to see other people as means to their ends” (753). Therefore, it is hard for liberals and conservatives to find a common ground on immigration policy.

Smith’s article “Our Fear of Immigrants” starts by offering reasoning for why people do fear immigrants, and seems to suggest that sparse feelings for competent and emotional

What is nativism and xenophobia and how are they being expressed in today’s society? (20 points)

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…

Tanya Golash-Boza illustrates a personal life experience about the video of a baby who was having health issues because his mother was deported, and he kept rejecting the bottle. Surprisingly many comments on the video expressed hate towards the mother for being immigrant, and towards the baby for now being the orphan son of an immigrant. Many Americans have developed hate against immigrants because the government has created a stereotype of them as burdens and deviates. Politics and society focus on how immigrants can affect the economy or the country's security, creating a common feeling of contempt. Focus in the material issues has faded the human side of some members in society. The government forgets that immigrants are humans with rights, friends and family bonds. Any enacted law will affect

There has been a drastic change in the way we perceive the world and this can alter the way we see each other. We tend to jump onto a bandwagon because it seems easiest or because of one personal scenario. This is one of the main causes for prejudice and injustice. How a person reacts to being oppressed may bring out another side of them, but this side is their true self. This reaction speaks of his or her morals, ethics, and values. To these people, all the perpetrators appear the same, but it is known that while some may easily go along with it, some may choose to stand above it all. The concepts referenced to earlier will be soon elaborated on in further analysis as this essay goes on.

It is proven that immigrants are far more afraid and less likely to as well participate in any crime involved activities, quit their jobs, shoplift, hurt others in any way, shape or form, or do something that could get them arrested. It’s the sense of fear they have for getting deported, but it may also be that good spirit in which they truly came here to start a better life with no problems. Many comparisons between cities, communities and counties are done by economists to differentiate the links of local concentration of immigrants and the rates of crime and violence in that specified area. Results showed that the higher number concentration of immigrants, the lower crime rate. There is no proven connection found between immigrants and higher crime

In 1995, new immigration laws transfigure the American society. As a result, races group together to defend their customs. The current immigration problem also increases the racial tension facing America today. One result of racism in the United States is hate groups and gangs. Both have only one thing in common--violence! The very use of the term of color - which embraces blacks, . . . Asians, Native

On his article regarding Xenophobia, Massino Pegliucci takes a scientifically approach describing xenophobia as a condition that will be very difficult to eradicate. He believes that humans have a natural