Xenophobia — Theia Pictures

Xenophobia: dislike of or prejudice towards people, cultures, customs that are foreign, or perceived as foreign. - Oxford English Dictionary

I was talking to a friend recently who has been having a hard time since he has moved to lutruwita /Tasmania. He grew up in Sydney, speaks perfect English, he is a walking encyclopedia, and a gifted musician. He also has brown skin and a big black beard. When he walks down the street, the people of Hobart stare at him. Little children have come up to him and said ‘What are you doing here?”. Almost every day, he receives aggressive comments, ‘Go back to where you came from’. He has had eggs thrown at him while riding his bike. He has struggled to find work as a music teacher. Recently the attacks have gotten worse. As a result, my friend has decided to move interstate.

I am so disappointed in my fellow Hobartians. I never knew or imagined they could be so hostile to someone simply because they look different. Xenophobia is the word that comes to mind. Xenophobia is manifested as a ‘dislike of or prejudice towards people, cultures and customs that are foreign, or perceived as foreign’. One might say, xenophobia is the fear of the unknown. Some might say this is the greatest fear of all.

The trouble with xenophobia is that it makes us mean towards people who have done nothing wrong. It’s one thing to punish someone who has done a terrible thing. But if you are self righteously being mean to a person simply because they look like someone who has done a terrible thing, well then you have fallen into the trap of a logical fallacy and you need a good kick up the bum yourself!

Dubstep, Drum and & Bass. Fuji X10, Melbourne, 2012.

The world is a big place and there are a lot of people in it. When will we learn how to behave toward each other with equality, fairness and respect? I keep waiting for the day when we start treating each other like the fellow human beings that we are. I might be waiting long.

-A.S. 26.10.24, Lenah Valley