Xenophobia and Genocide
*Note: Even if you might not be interested in reading this blog, I want you to at least read the last paragraph because I think it is important for everyone.
When we think of xenophobia and genocide we most likely first think of World War II and the Nazi’s Holocaust where they “eliminated” everyone who didn’t fit in their concept of the German “Herrenrasse” (Master Race) and ideology of the Aryan race. But Xenophobia and genocide have always been a part of human history. I want to give you a few examples.
+ Already Aristotles (384 BC - 322 BC) said that “it is fitting that Greeks should rule over barbarians, but not contrariwise, because Greeks are free, and barbarians are slaves.” (“The Greek Polity”)
http://falcon.tamucc.edu/~philosophy/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=PhilosophyFaculty.WayneSumner
Furthermore, he says it is only natural having rulers and sovereigns. The Barbarian is only a slave because he cannot distinguish between woman and slave, Aristotles said.
Genocide usually results from xenophobia. Xenophobia develops from the needs of the bullies. In the case of the people living in Aristotles’ time, the need is predominance and the results were never-ending wars.
+ Plato (427 BC - 347 BC) described in his work “Politeia” (“The Republic”) the relationship between Hellenes and foreigners with reference to justice. In his mind, Hellenes and foreigners are natural enemies and this enmity is to be called “war”. But if Hellenes fight against Hellenes this is to be called “brawl” and is unnatural for they naturally are friends.
- “For war is of two kinds, civil and foreign; the first of which is properly termed ‘discord,’ and only the second ‘war;’ and war between Hellenes is in reality civil war”a quarrel in a family, which is ever to be regarded as unpatriotic and unnatural”
(http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/plato/p71r/introduction5.html)
In the case of Plato, the need is differentiation and interior stabilisation and the result is a developing ideology against those who are different.
+ In Mediaeval Times there has been the so-called Vagrancy people. They were considered foreign to community because everyone who came into the community from outside was considered foreign - threatening and fascinating at the same time. Vagrancies were excluded from the community and were divided into good and bad foreigners.
In this case the need of the bullies was security (and differentiation) and fascination at the same time. The results have been market and beggar regulations.
+ In addition to that, heretics and sorcerers, who sometimes were also considered Vagrancy people, have been chased and tortured. Furthermore, there has been xenophobia against Muslims and Jews that resulted in Crusades and Pogroms. We all know about the Crusades but how about Pogroms? Between 1348 and 1351 the Black Death has taken the life of thousands of men, women and children in Europe. Already before the pest hit Europe there have been conflicts between Christians and Jews. In those days, sudden deterioration of health has been blamed on poison. Soon the Jews have been accused of well-poisoning. With reference to the black death the Jews once again had to take the blame. They poisoned the water to bring the black death to Christians, people said. Another theory back then was that God punished Christians because they let Jews live in their towns. Either way, as a result millions of Jews have been killed and tortured.
The Mediaeval times have generally been a rather dark age. In order to feel superior and to fight fear, millions of “foreigners” (Muslims though Crusuades, Jews through pogroms and Vagrancy people, heretics and sorcerers through discriminations and torture) and especially weak people had to suffer and lose their lives.
Xenophobia and genocide kept on developing throughout time carrying through the Protestant Reformation, religious wars, the French Revolution to the 19th and 20th century and the First and Second World War.
+ Another example is the repression of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas (Native Americans). When Europeans started to populate America they started to domineer Native Americans who got their land taken away and were put into Indian reservations. First reservations were built in 1786 which pushed the Native Indians into a relationship of dependence of the European settlers. As a result, Native Indians were not able to perform their culture anymore. They tried to fight against their oppressors but with little success. An example is the massacre of Wounded Knee (South Dakota) in 1890 where 350 men, woman and children were massacred.
Miniconjou Chief Big Foot lies dead in the snow of Wounded Kneee in 1890
+ Not only Native Indians have been victims of repression in America, but also African slaves that were brought to America. The slavery already started in the 15th century - even before America was “discovered” - in Portugal where African slaves were shipped into the country. In the following centuries, many millions of Africans have been deported to America and other countries where they lived under the worst circumstances, where they were tortured and taken all dignity, forced to work for their lords.
+ The maybe most memorable example of our time is the Holocaust that took the life of at least 5.6 to 6.3 Jews. But not only Jews were victims; also disabled persons, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses or political enemies were sent into concentration camps. Everyone who did not fit into the ideology of the “Herrenrasse” (master race) had to be eliminated. Convicts had to work hard, were used for medical experiments and lived under unbelievably inhuman circumstances. Millions had to die.
Even nowadays people still are followed and tortured because of their culture or origin. The examples I mentioned show that xenophobia has been there all the time, some of them even show examples of genocide. It has not only been the Holocaust. Any other case, if worse or not, is a tragedy.
History repeats. But if you ask me, history only repeats if people don’t learn from their mistakes. But to learn from your mistakes also means that you have to admit that mistakes have been made in the past. If you know what has been done wrong, then you can learn what to do to not make things happen again. Xenophobia and genocide have been a part of human history from the very beginning. Even big minds like Aristotles have been discriminatory. You might say people back then did not know better. It might be true. Nevertheless, we, the people from now, do know better and we have to learn from our past to not make all history repeat.
This blog is inspired by a lecture of Prof. Dr. W. Wagner.
When we think of xenophobia and genocide we most likely first think of World War II and the Nazi’s Holocaust where they “eliminated” everyone who didn’t fit in their concept of the German “Herrenrasse” (Master Race) and ideology of the Aryan race. But Xenophobia and genocide have always been a part of human history. I want to give you a few examples.
+ Already Aristotles (384 BC - 322 BC) said that “it is fitting that Greeks should rule over barbarians, but not contrariwise, because Greeks are free, and barbarians are slaves.” (“The Greek Polity”)
http://falcon.tamucc.edu/~philosophy/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=PhilosophyFaculty.WayneSumner
Furthermore, he says it is only natural having rulers and sovereigns. The Barbarian is only a slave because he cannot distinguish between woman and slave, Aristotles said.
Genocide usually results from xenophobia. Xenophobia develops from the needs of the bullies. In the case of the people living in Aristotles’ time, the need is predominance and the results were never-ending wars.
+ Plato (427 BC - 347 BC) described in his work “Politeia” (“The Republic”) the relationship between Hellenes and foreigners with reference to justice. In his mind, Hellenes and foreigners are natural enemies and this enmity is to be called “war”. But if Hellenes fight against Hellenes this is to be called “brawl” and is unnatural for they naturally are friends.
- “For war is of two kinds, civil and foreign; the first of which is properly termed ‘discord,’ and only the second ‘war;’ and war between Hellenes is in reality civil war”a quarrel in a family, which is ever to be regarded as unpatriotic and unnatural”
(http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/p/plato/p71r/introduction5.html)
In the case of Plato, the need is differentiation and interior stabilisation and the result is a developing ideology against those who are different.
+ In Mediaeval Times there has been the so-called Vagrancy people. They were considered foreign to community because everyone who came into the community from outside was considered foreign - threatening and fascinating at the same time. Vagrancies were excluded from the community and were divided into good and bad foreigners.
In this case the need of the bullies was security (and differentiation) and fascination at the same time. The results have been market and beggar regulations.
+ In addition to that, heretics and sorcerers, who sometimes were also considered Vagrancy people, have been chased and tortured. Furthermore, there has been xenophobia against Muslims and Jews that resulted in Crusades and Pogroms. We all know about the Crusades but how about Pogroms? Between 1348 and 1351 the Black Death has taken the life of thousands of men, women and children in Europe. Already before the pest hit Europe there have been conflicts between Christians and Jews. In those days, sudden deterioration of health has been blamed on poison. Soon the Jews have been accused of well-poisoning. With reference to the black death the Jews once again had to take the blame. They poisoned the water to bring the black death to Christians, people said. Another theory back then was that God punished Christians because they let Jews live in their towns. Either way, as a result millions of Jews have been killed and tortured.
The Mediaeval times have generally been a rather dark age. In order to feel superior and to fight fear, millions of “foreigners” (Muslims though Crusuades, Jews through pogroms and Vagrancy people, heretics and sorcerers through discriminations and torture) and especially weak people had to suffer and lose their lives.
Xenophobia and genocide kept on developing throughout time carrying through the Protestant Reformation, religious wars, the French Revolution to the 19th and 20th century and the First and Second World War.
+ Another example is the repression of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas (Native Americans). When Europeans started to populate America they started to domineer Native Americans who got their land taken away and were put into Indian reservations. First reservations were built in 1786 which pushed the Native Indians into a relationship of dependence of the European settlers. As a result, Native Indians were not able to perform their culture anymore. They tried to fight against their oppressors but with little success. An example is the massacre of Wounded Knee (South Dakota) in 1890 where 350 men, woman and children were massacred.
Miniconjou Chief Big Foot lies dead in the snow of Wounded Kneee in 1890
+ Not only Native Indians have been victims of repression in America, but also African slaves that were brought to America. The slavery already started in the 15th century - even before America was “discovered” - in Portugal where African slaves were shipped into the country. In the following centuries, many millions of Africans have been deported to America and other countries where they lived under the worst circumstances, where they were tortured and taken all dignity, forced to work for their lords.
+ The maybe most memorable example of our time is the Holocaust that took the life of at least 5.6 to 6.3 Jews. But not only Jews were victims; also disabled persons, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses or political enemies were sent into concentration camps. Everyone who did not fit into the ideology of the “Herrenrasse” (master race) had to be eliminated. Convicts had to work hard, were used for medical experiments and lived under unbelievably inhuman circumstances. Millions had to die.
Even nowadays people still are followed and tortured because of their culture or origin. The examples I mentioned show that xenophobia has been there all the time, some of them even show examples of genocide. It has not only been the Holocaust. Any other case, if worse or not, is a tragedy.
History repeats. But if you ask me, history only repeats if people don’t learn from their mistakes. But to learn from your mistakes also means that you have to admit that mistakes have been made in the past. If you know what has been done wrong, then you can learn what to do to not make things happen again. Xenophobia and genocide have been a part of human history from the very beginning. Even big minds like Aristotles have been discriminatory. You might say people back then did not know better. It might be true. Nevertheless, we, the people from now, do know better and we have to learn from our past to not make all history repeat.
This blog is inspired by a lecture of Prof. Dr. W. Wagner.
*coughpaulinehansoncough*
i really like this blog :) but what about the aboriginals? they're still being pushed around
KarenAndTheBabes, May 1st, 2008 at 05:25:48am
oh yeah.... that i wanna say, that it is today everywhere. i forgot the word today ^_^
punch0, April 28th, 2008 at 08:39:34am
Genoisde has been very big all throught the 20th centuary (or however you spell it) and even today. The Holocaust, The "Ethnic Clensing" of all non-serbs (musslims) in Serbia, Most of the Intelicuals in Cambodia, The incodent in Rawanda and even today is Sudan (Darfuar). It just keeps going and going(I really REALLY doubt I spelt any of these country names right). Sad really.
Blarg!, April 27th, 2008 at 04:30:32pm
i see xenophobia going on everyday since 9/11. i live in nyc and i see the dirty looks and comments people toss to muslims like no other.
and i'll admit, im guilty of it sometimes myself
But people do have to open their eyes and realize how serious of a matter it is.
OMG c_x_c, April 27th, 2008 at 02:16:59pm
yeah... a agree with the comments before. but i think you forgot to say, that it is not only in the past... it is pervasive! i any culture... in each country... in any society. if it is only between men and woman or between two different attitude, like in china or North America.
I think as long as there are religions exist, there will also contempt exist between people. religion will always exist in the future and with it also the Xenophobia and Genocide. :/
That is the sad truth. i think.... and this is very terrible and it make me sick :o
but want can we do... write blogs, is a beginning. but peoples had to stand up and fight against it, like in china.
OMG i think i never write such a intelligent comment xD
and I hope you can understand it, because my english is not soooo good. :)
kisses fabi ^_^
punch0, April 27th, 2008 at 11:30:48am
VERY well written blog, i like it
Slash, April 27th, 2008 at 09:59:00am
That is indeed a clever Blog.
Good job. :)
brompton cocktail., April 27th, 2008 at 09:44:36am
very clever blog, very true as well, i didnt read it all thoroghly but i skammed it
Fall-Out-Girl, April 27th, 2008 at 09:42:52am