We know this is a stressful time, we hope that our resources are able to bring some comfort in this unstable time. We are experiencing this together!
Xenophobia is the fear, distrust, or hatred of people perceived as foreign or different from one’s own cultural, national, or ethnic group. It often arises when individuals or communities feel superficially threatened, whether economically, culturally, and/or socially by people they perceive as outsiders. Although xenophobia can manifest as subtle stereotypes or prejudices, it can also appear as open discrimination, exclusionary corporate policies, and in serious cases violence and death.
At its core, xenophobia is fueled by the human tendency to form in-groups and out-groups. When people feel uncertain or vulnerable, they may seek safety within their own in-group and direct blame toward those they see as “others.” Economic hardship, political instability, and rapid social change can intensify these fears, making communities more susceptible to xenophobic narratives that oversimplify complex issues.
Xenophobia can have serious consequences. On a personal level, it harms individuals by limiting their opportunity and accessibility, endangering their sense of safety, and exposing them to harassment or violence. On a societal level, it weakens the social contract (or expectations of safety), disrupts multicultural collaboration, and can contribute to cycles of conflict. Groups built on diversity may find their unity eroded when xenophobic sentiments spread unchecked.
First we must understand what kind of systems we are looking at?
Patriarchy has been founded on the preconceived notion to sex differences at birth and assumed placement in breeding or procreation for future generations, and the assumed placement of a labor source or provider. While this notion has been getting very old by this time, we have let it up hold several households and leave many spending years in emotional aguish over their true wants and the systems' need to stay alive. If men are home bodies who take care of the young, as their female partner have a larger corporate jobs that provide for the family you are actively breaking this norm. However, don't misguide your sense of praise for breaking away from the norm. The praise goes to those who also teach their children not to rely on a specific sex or gender to provide for emotional needs etc. There is a lot in this world that caters to the male ideology, but in many ways it dis-serves the male population the most by inappropriate expectations and emotional strangulation. This does not negate that the tole the Patriarchy has put on AFAB people and/or women is unattainable by most, and has caused death, abuse, and manipulation in the name of gender superiority. Sexual domination has always been apart of this historical fantasy, but the patriarchy uses this assumed domination to abuse and silence women all the time. Rape and abuse culture is an egregious act and it's important that we take the energy to deal with our biggest predators in the community.
However our systems journey does not lead us just to Patriarchal Systems, but also Racist Systems that further upheld the white male agenda for power and profits. We saw this throughout the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Fugitive Slave Laws, Emancipation Proclamation, and Jim Crow Laws that have only evolved in their ability to access black communities and gerrymander their counties. Racism has many different ways of manifesting itself in the psychology of white individuals. Racism is something every white person faces, because our environment inherently works for us. It makes sure that we are safe; instead of fearing us and therefore endangering us. Racism and Slavery gave white men with power the ability to control and manipulate the ways in which voting and many other forms of freedom were withheld. Black Communities have faced the most extreme of attacks in our nation's history. It's our job as people today to combat our learned racism and other social systems, so that people can be in this place of freedom with the feeling of actually feeling safe, protected, and free to do so as they please (with reason).
If you would like to help us write about commonly silenced areas or personal experiences you may have with these topics, contact us at thisisactivism2023@gmail.com or fill out our Comments page. We want our website to be a continuous growth of knowledge to share with each other in a positive way. There are so many things we don't talk about and we should!