The only cure for Xenophobia is time and a larger population of the group.

Reader comment on: Columbia Honors Al Jazeera

Submitted by Lyle (United States), May 4, 2011 16:55

Recall that Catholics were one time regarded as slaves to the pope. In the 1850s we had the American Party that was nicknamed the Anti-Catholic no nothing party. One of the knocks against Al Smith in 1928 was that he was a Catholic and would kow tow to the pope. Even John Kennedy was accused of this, but by 1960 regarding the Catholic church as unchristian was on the wane. Today a majority of the supreme court I believe is Catholic.

Further to take another example, in 1917 there was a big anti german immigrant move in the US, my great-grandfather got his door painted yellow because he had never taken out the second papers and lists of those folks were published in the papers. In addition the German language paper in Evansville In, stop publishing based upon pressure, (and while no direct evidence exists, I suspect that it was pointed out that there might accidentally be a fire). German heritage in most of the US did not come to be politically correct until the 1980s, so it took the generation that had the shock leaving the scene to over come the effects of the 1917 hysteria.

Part of the problem is these sorts of things have been bleached out of history taught in schools because they do not fit the desired story line. (Let alone talk about southern europeans and the 1924 immigration act, the anti asian hysteria in the latter part of the 19th century leading to banning immigration from there, etc., etc.. ) Assimilation is a hard process that takes a couple of generations to accomplish or a violent series of events. (Prohibition at least in one sense was a reaction to Germans as well as the Germans did like their beer, as well as being a movement of the small towns against the evil cities who were full of immigrants that did not believe in god the proper way at least. )

So if we taught unbleached not boiled down and freeze dried tasteless history in schools people would understand that it takes a long time for Xenophobia to die down, actually requiring many of the xenophobiacs to leave the scene.


Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing.

The Future of Capitalism replies:

Agreed but I don't see how it amounts to xenophobia for President Obama to observe that killing Obama is a good day for America, or for people to sing Amazing Grace at ground zero, both of which Al Jazeera seems to find threatening.

Other reader comments on this item

Title By Date
⇒ The only cure for Xenophobia is time and a larger population of the group.
[w/response] [365 words]
LyleMay 4, 2011 16:55
Agreed that Obama was not being Xenophobic [67 words]LyleMay 4, 2011 21:15

Comment on this item

Mark my comment as a response to The only cure for Xenophobia is time and a larger population of the group. by Lyle

Email me if someone replies to my comment

Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing.