Folium: The Benefits of Xenophobia via BoingBoing
Folium: The Benefits of Xenophobia via BoingBoing
Folium: The Benefits of Xenophobia via BoingBoing
I’ve always been taught that a good viewpoint deserves the consideration of a counterpoint. And since Folium is all about the merits of language learning, travel, and world culture, I figured that a well-written article on xenophobia was in order.
Xenophobia, the fear of outsiders, things that are strange and new, and the unknown, is usually looked down upon in most social circles (xenophobia being pretty anti-social). You’ll see elements of xenophobia alive and well today as topics of immigration (especially Mexican immigration in the United States), racism, nationalism, and insularity dominate the news. However, this study makes a compelling argument on how xenophobia probably kept ancient cultures alive for quite some time.
“The key, he says, might be disease. Not cooperating between groups, refusing to share resources, and generally going out of your way to avoid strangers makes sense if those strangers are infected with something that could kill you.” – via BoingBoing.
Imagine if the Aztecs were just a little more xenophobic. Their willingness to open communications with the Spanish led to their downfall. Their fear and distrust of the conquistadors came too late to save their civilization.
The Aztecs and Hernán Cortés via Wikimedia Commons
However, in the case of this article, the author does concede that xenophobia works best in the case of “survival of the fittest“. And for all intents and purposes the advancement of humankind no longer warrants violent mistrust or competitive behavior.
“Xenophobia and tribalism, once they emerge, can influence politics and nearly every other aspect of human civilization, particularly when acting in concert with deaths and malaise due to disease. High disease prevalence and xenopohbia has even been argued to have led to the diversification of cultures (if you don’t talk to your neighbor, it is easier to become different from them) and/or the rise and fall of empires.” – via ScientificAmerican
I almost consider it now an anthropological survival tool. We once feared groups that could threaten our health, food, and fire. Now that we participate in global travel, trade, and commerce it seems like an old biological mechanism that we’ll need to outgrow as a species.
Have you ever heard of xenophobia before now? And do you think it’s still alive and well today? Let us know in the comments below!
