Do xenophobes really exist?

[Kber]

and if so, why?

[cali]

1. Of course.

And fear of the other, of the outsider is well documented.

[UALRBSofL]

2. I think that group of people in El Dorado, Tx could be considered Xenophobes

If you've been seeing that cult group lately on TeeVee I would consider them Xenophobes.

[tekisui]

3. They exist and there are a lot of them.

Right here in the US.

[Kber]

6. OK, so what drives the impulse?

Historically and contemporaneously?

[tekisui]

9. It comes from many sources.

The media, churches, culture. Racism, Sexism, Homophobia. All bigotry and xenophobia is rooted in fear. And that fear is exploited by many in attempts to advance their agenda. Repukes have been harvesting it in middle America for decades, with the assistance of churches and media.

I highly recommend the book, "What's the Matter with Kansas?". It does a good job of explaining how so many have been conditioned to fear that which is different and in turn vote against themselves.

[Botany]

4. yes, they play Xylophones

[JBoy]

20. Xylophones freak me out, and they should all be deported.

I think I may be a xylophobe.

[K Gardner]

5. Yes.. See Dobbs, Lou... CNN.. for example.

[UALRBSofL]

7. Lou Dobbs is an Independent, an equal opportunity basher

Listen to him like I do and you will agree with what I say. He bashes Bush and his minions as well as the democrats.

[EFerrari]

8. No, he's not. Amy Goodman did a report that showed

that he repeated gets his material and his guests from hate groups.

[UALRBSofL]

10. I listen to him just about every day

And much of the time he does bash Bush as being a screw up on the economy. the war, etc. Now he does believe against amnesty and he has pointed that out many times.

[EFerrari]

11. He's a disgusting race baiter and he was outed right on the air.

Amy confronted him with a long list of the guests he'd booked and the sources he quotes, and he turned every shade in the rainbow.

At first he didn't remember, then he didn't know, then he said it was a mistake and then, when his @ss was out hanging in the wind, he got angry.

Dobbs is no independent and his criticism of Bush is as fake as possible. He shills for the same interests off the air that he criticizes on the air.

[K Gardner]

14. Thanks :-)

[crispini]

12. Good heavens, YES.

Why? Well, an awful LOT of people fear the unknown. And there's a lot of the unknown out there.

[Botany]

17. Some people also fear the known too

:scared:

[DavidDvorkin]

13. They pop out of the woodwork here on DU

When there's a discussion of immigration or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Texas Hill Country]

15. of course they do. and there are a multitude of reasons.

[enfield collector]

16. "Sir, is this going to be a straight up fight or a bug hunt?" "Well we don't

know much but we have had reports that a xenophobe might be involved" "yeah, it's a bug hunt."

[PaulaFarrell]

18. I believe it's essentially tribal

the human race evolved tribally in virtually every society. Other tribes were generally enemies who at the least would compete for food but might also kill you, steal your land, or make you a slave. SO if you look at the human race as having evolved form this tribal mentality it is easier to understand why we instinctively fear those different from us, even when we know intellectually that we have no reason to. It's the same with snakes and spiders. Most are harmless, but for the majority of people they evoke an instinctive fear.

[crankychatter]

19. are you a solipsist?

If not, how can you be sure?