#internalised xenophobia

[vazaha-tya]

Can you elaborate on Stiles’ internalized xenophobia, genuinely curious bc I never noticed that at all in show. Is it only in fics? So curious

it's the way he talks about his first name that bothers me. i think it's less present in the show than in fanfics but there's this whole "my name is an unpronounceable monstrosity" thing that very clearly stems from xenophobia and is pushed over the top + reinforced over the fact that "what the hell is a stiles?" is literally a running gag in the show

it's probably not a huge deal, a lot of kids/teenagers are embarrassed by the names their parents have chosen for them, especially when it makes them stand out. but the emphasis on how horrible his name is doesn't sit well with me. because of how often the joke is repeated it feels like he's been taught to hate it and by extension taught to be ashamed of his foreign origins

don't get me wrong, stiles is perfectly allowed to choose his own name and i actually think that should be normalised

but his parents being of polish descent (no matter how far back) and choosing to name their child a polish name in america implies a strong cultural tie that could have been celebrated instead of making it a shameful thing.

the show could have kept stiles' chosen name without diminishing that for the sake of a joke that grew old really quickly imo

[ro-sso]

me, sitting down to play star stable:

star stable: hey go catch these evil green christmas goblins who have stolen from the winter village, you never know if they're hiding in the snow or not so look out!

me:

star stable: go catch them! stop their plans! which we dont know why theyve stolen the winter tokens - but it doesnt matter why, just take the winter tokens back for the good of the village

me:

me: yeah... sure star stable online... this is a plotline you've chosen to have... in the year of our lord 2023... okay...

[thehollowwriter]

Guys please tell me. Are mages... a race.

[luminiera-merge]

i think my tolerance for moe (ie the anime stuff) is in freefall rn

[angelicspaceprince]

It's 3am, I can't sleep, my spirk addition is back and I just found out that ksarchive is merged with ao3 and I can't find my comfort fics. So, out of desperation, I come to thee tumblr in the hopes someone can remember the names of these fics, or potentially even link me to it.

1. Basic premise is that Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew are all members of the Starfleet Academy except for Kirk, who believes himself too stupid to attend. He, instead, is like the maintenance person (? I think??) for Spock's older apartment complex. All I can remember specifically from the plot is that there was homophobia and xenophobia from Frank, internalised issues with Jim and a lot of trauma stuff, Jim had a monster of a cat and the fic ended in a show down where Frank took Jim (or spock??? Its been years since ive read it) hostage and nearly killed him bc he didn't like that Jim and Spock were dating.

2. There was also another whump fic where kirk accidentally gets pregnant with Spock's baby through weird alien tech whilst Spock was datinf Uhura, Spock tries to steal said baby thanks to New Vulcan laws only for Kirk to run away thanks to Spock Prime and Spock ending up ruining all his relationships bc of the way he handled everything, only for him and Kirk to end up together at the end

3. AND ANOTHER ONE where Spock and Kirk are dating, Kirk gets s/ad by an alien ambassador but Spock thinks he cheated and slowly all of the enterprise turn against him. Kirk leaves Starfleet bc he can't handle it, ends up nearly dying from cancer and eventually gets (lovingly) manipulated into taking up a new captaincy and during all of this everyone slowly begins to realise they were wrong and band together to protect Kirk when he gets stolen by said alien ambassador towards the end of the fic

I need to know if these fics survived the transfer so if anyone has a link or a name I'd greatly appreciate it 😭😭

[jeonjcngkook]

imagine being a known already troubled writer on this platform, writing for an asian group and being proud to show internalised racism in their fic ???? proud to say your female leading character ‘looks like a dumb anime girl’, and proud of showing off xenophobia. but hey, i bet nobody is gonna bat an eyelid in this writers direction and yet you all had a fucking wonderful time cancelling another writer for something less offensive.

[whitestopper]

Before Season 2, I thought that Tao's father had left Tao and Yan, and since Tao('s actor) is mixed white and Asian, it could've been shown that Tao's anxiety over fitting in as a half-Asian boy in a white school started from a young age. Maybe his father told Yan to stop teaching him Cantonese, or not letting him bring egg noodles for packed lunch. Maybe Yan would agree out of fear that Tao wouldn't assimilate with his classmates or maybe she'd just agree so he wouldn't cause a fight about it. Just little things that started building up the idea that being 'too Asian' would make Tao unlikeable, which would then reach its peak when his white father leaves him.

Or if Tao's dad needs to be good but dead so Yan can speak happily about him without any issues, then Tao could've just had a bad time at school. Teachers expecting him to be a minority model student (quiet, polite and getting exceptional grades) and peers doing racist stuff like broken accents and stretching their eyes. His parents could do their best to make sure that his spark isn't dulled but his insecurities still come out, especially at school where they started.

Now I'm speaking as a white-passing half south-east Asian who was spared being targeted - to my memory the school I went to, while having all white staff, had a decent of mix of white and (east to south) Asian kids. But make no mistake, kids are very much exposed to racism and internalising it. My brother and I were younger than 10 when we learned about the aforementioned racist imitations. We watched Family Guy (to my mum's displeasure) and Eurocentric beauty standards are very clear (and I did internalise the idea that because I was 'ugly', I should put my pride into being 'smart'). And when I became a teenager who realised just how detached I was to my Asian heritage - to the point of thinking myself as less than half-Asian due to lack of exposure - it very much fucked with my sense of self and made me feel like a tourist/outsider when trying to get in touch with it.

All this to say, you can get away with not addressing race when your story is centred around two white boys and poc are just side stories (I mean, you shouldn't and you can't really, but you can), but when you're trying to bring poc to the spotlight, it's really bad to only acknowledge homophobia, mental illness and passing sexism/transphobia (Elle's experiences with transphobia are only mentioned as happening at Truham, but who really believes that the homophobes at Higgs are trans allies?) and not racism, colorism, or xenophobia. Like, does Elle being able to pass as cis supercede the fact that she will never pass as white? Is there not a certain reason Tara struggled to accept that she was a lesbian for longer than Darcy did? Would Tao not have had experience with white peers who bully him and white peers who don't stand by him?

And I won't say much on it as a cis woman, but as Asian men are emasculated as 'weak', Tao's seemingly inexplicable aggression towards Nick becomes... well, explicable when you recontextualise it as (subconsciously) trying to match the white masculine ideal of aggression.

[sophiamcdougall]

So I just posted about how funny and unexpected it is that instead of being terrorised by Hellhound!Dracula the people of Whitby just want to cuddle him and call him a good boy, and I noted that even though it's hilarious (how fucking embarrassed would you be if you were Dracula? They called the fucking RSPCA. Absolutely WWDITS scenes.) it also supports the motif of people always caring more than Dracula expects, something that will ultimately undo him. And you know another thing I had never noticed until Re:Dracula?

Despite Alasdair Stuart's superb performance ... the Captain of the Demeter isn't English. (Or Protestant.) His log has been translated by "a clerk of the Russian consul" so the Correspondent can publish it for an English audience. When he mentions that the crew, unlike the Mate, are Russian, he's possibly identifying them as compatriots, at least people with whom he shares a language. Of course, why would the captain of a "Russian schooner from Varna" be English? But this feels like something that should be incorporated more into critical readings of Dracula. Nothing can take away the the racism/xenophobia in the treatment of the Rom and some of the other locals. But the Captain's nationality ought to add least add nuance to the interpretation of Dracula as a tale of good, valiant WASPs standing up to sinister, ~Eastern~ ~forces. After Jonathan, and before Lucy, the next character to tell their own story of victimisation is a Russian-speaker who presumably hails from further east than Dracula does. This complicates the "Anglos are rational (but wrong about vampires)/ Eastern Europeans are emotional and superstitious (but correct about vampires)" dichotomy. Throughout his short narrative, the Captain behaves very much like Jonathan in similar circumstances. Interestingly, both are forced or tricked into "complicity" with Dracula's arrival in England, but in both cases the narrative makes it obvious that it is not their fault. Like Jonathan with the locals on the way to Castle Dracula, the Captain is warned early on by one of the men that something supernatural is going on, and dismisses it as 'superstitious fear'. In fact, he takes much longer to internalise that he's being preyed on by something unearthly than Jonathan does (not his fault -- he doesn't get the up-close-and-personal 'no reflection' encounter with Dracula that Jonathan gets on Day 2). Nevertheless, he investigates as best he can, and then, when he fully realises he's at Dracula's mercy he refuses to surrender. He does the only thing he can to at least deny Dracula his final prize and die "as a man". Those aren't, then, being treated by the text as British reactions. They're human reactions -- and I think, specifically modern human reactions. Jonathan, comes from a world of advancing technology, the Captain from a globalised world of international trade. Their modernity does not prepare them for the ancient evil that Dracula represents. But modernity (train schedules, shorthand, phonographs records) will eventually, after heavy losses, allow the Crew of Light to fight back.

And, foreshadowing what will happen with Lucy, even though the Captain couldn't defeat Dracula, even though he dies, the narrative treats his struggle as noble and important. It matters that the suitors and Van Helsing fought so hard to save Lucy. It matters that the Captain died at his post, still human and defiant. And -- the people of Whitby, (who Stoker really must have decided were predominately total sweethearts) take a break from searching for the spectral hellhound so they can pet it and give it treats to declare him a hero. Is anyone putting him in the frame for Dracula's crimes? (Another way his abuse parallels Jonathan's). Fuck you! The people of Whitby have his back. The first non-American foreigner to be encountered on English shores by English characters isn't Dracula. And even in death, he is welcomed and cared for and defended, and this is right.

[ovwechoes]

I love your writing! can you do one with Mauga and roadhog please...? 🥺

Chainbreaker / Mauga x Roadhog Headcanons (SFW) I've never seen this ship before, so I'm happy to write for them. Thank you for the ask and they're below the cut, enjoy!

How'd they meet? What were their first impressions of each other? They probably met whilst Mako was assisting Jamison on a heist, and Maugaloa was on a mission with Talon. It was as though fate crossed their paths, even when at first Mako didn't take a second look at Maugaloa, not considering him important enough to think twice about. It wasn't until Maugaloa had to speak to him first, that their bond grew more. With Mako's assistance and compliance, Maugaloa was able to successfully complete their mission and that's what initiated him to ask for Mako's contacts, so that if he needs any further help he can call on him. With some reluctance, he provided, thinking that it might help him and Jamison come into more money in the future. 

Who confessed? How did it go? Maugaloa definitely did, after months of silently pining for Mako without any idea of how he felt for him. All he knew was that he wanted the feelings gone if they were unrequited, and so the confession happened when he asked Mako if he was free to speak to him, and meet him at a dodgy location. It didn't help that when he got there, Mako wasn't wearing his usual mask, meaning he knew this wasn't a work meeting but something else. It's weird how much Maugaloa felt as though Mako could see right through him, and could understand him better than he could himself. The confession was messier than any he had in the past, full of stutters and ‘let me rephrase' from Maugaloa, with Mako listening in silence. When done, Mako said he felt something but wasn't sure what it was, and asked for some time to consider things more before giving an answer. It made Maugaloa feel anxious, worried that he was buying himself time to ghost, but after 2 days of conversations with Jamison and consideration of what this would mean for him, Mako accepted his confession but asked that they keep things slow, not rushing anything. Thus, the relationship started completely different to any that Maugaloa had experienced before, and he was thankful for that as it made things feel meaningful and different between the two of them.

What's their favourite attribute about each other? Mako likes Maugaloa's confidence, and appreciates how he knows he's everything he gloats about being and will happily flaunt it. Usually, he finds people like Maugaloa conceited, often seeing their words as a cover up for their lack of abilities, but with Maugaloa this is completely different for him. It's something Mako can appreciate, and he likes being with someone he doesn't have to parent through insecurities (like he has to with Jamison). Mako's own self confidence has only grown throughout the relationship, and he views their time together as valuable for this reason. Maugaloa, on the other hand, loves the pride that Mako takes with his heritage, and his indigenous routes of Australia. He enjoys how much confidence Mako has about this, and how happily he'll stand up for his roots in the face of racism or xenophobia. It's something that Maugaloa's struggled with in the past, often not understanding why it was happening and internalising it when he was much younger. So, having a partner that understands the pain from the rude comments and racism, and yet still holds so much love for their cultural roots is important for him. It's made him feel seen, and comfortable with him as though he could scream that he's indigenous and wouldn't be hurt in the process because Mako would protect him, just as Maugaloa would protect him.

Do they go on holiday? If so, where to? I like to think they do, or at least make plans to meet in the middle of their own missions and work obligations, so that they can spend time with each other as much as possible. They don't care where they end up finding themselves, as long as they're with one another it doesn't matter. They've often been to Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan. They love exploring new places away from their own homes, and like to explore new historical places that they never expected - but the actual location doesn't matter to them. For Mako, he only cares about convenience with getting to said destination, and Maugaloa only cares about what excuse he'll make for slipping out of Talon's sights for the next couple days.

What do their friends and family think of each other/their relationship? Mako would've only told Jamison about the relationship after asking him if he should explore his feelings for Maugaloa properly, or not bother. He values his friend and work partner's opinions, even if they're scattered and overdramatic. It's important for Mako to have acceptance from Jamison, though, and he would want to feel supported and able to come to him if problems arise. Jamison was over the moon, happy that Mako finally let someone else into his heart. He was slightly jealous, though, as if he was the child of Mako watching them meet someone new that would take all their time. It was something he got concerned with at first, but when he finally met Maugaloa and he joked that Jamison was like their child, it made him feel better about the issue. He appreciates how Maugaloa doesn't judge them though, and the humour that Maugaloa shares with Jamison. On the other hand, Maugaloa would tell Moira and Sombra about the relationship - he would tell Sombra because eventually, without a doubt, she'd find out anyways and he would only tell Moira because Sombra would come to her first when finding out about the relationship. By telling them both, it was killing two birds with one stone. He wasn't concerned about their reactions, opinions, etc. and he believes that his happiness comes before their approval, not needing them to validate his decisions as if he isn't smart enough to consider them before enacting them. However, they were supportive and more so curious about how Mako would even like Maugaloa back, using this new information to tease him relentlessly. Though, they do cover for him on the off chance that he slips out at night from the Talon HQ, as he's proven loyal to the organisation so they're not worried about what might happen whilst he's spending time with Mako.

[cusperfem]

I really wish I could pinpoint the moment I started identifying as trans.

I wonder if I would realise that it's all internalised homophobia,fat antagonism, xenophobia and ableism.

I wish I could be that girl again. I can't.

But I can be that woman.

(KINK BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT, GET FUCKING HELP)

[lupuslikethewolf]

One thing i have noticed in regards to J*R's bigotry and how it is presented in popular media (i.e. news stations, articles and by celebrites) is that the main focus seems to be on the transphobia, and - as a british trans person - i think it is safe to say that a major reason for that is the rampant transphobia already present in this country, but the blatant anti-semitism, racism, misogyny, and right-wing politics tend to just get swept under the rug.

I am brown (desi), trans-masc and gay, but i'm not jewish, so if i am incorrect about anything i say regarding anti-semitism, then please correct me! this is based of research and what i have heard from jewish people, not personal experience.

In order: Misogyny and TERFism, Transphobia and UK Politics, Racism and Xenophobia in Writing, and Anti-Semetism and Caricatures.

Misogyny and TERF-ism

I think the first thing to say is that J*R glamorises the term TERF, or 'Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist' and considers herself the height of Women's Rights Activism.

I think this is truly evident in the fact that she seems unable to include a female protagonist in HP that isn't motherly or a love interest. Hermione Granger, while the most well-rounded and complex of the female characters, is the caretaker of Ron and Harry during their time at Hogwarts as students, and is treated as the 'back-up' girlfriend by Ron and Harry during the Fourth Year Yule Ball. Lavender Brown exists to create a 'Not Like Other Girls' trait in Hermione by distancing her from all the boy obsessed, hyper-feminine 'bad' girly-girls of Gryffindor. She is also, again, nothing more than a love interest. Molly Weasley is a mother figure for Harry, and everything about her eventually links back to that fact. She cooks, cleans, looks after people, knits and sews, etc etc. Nymphadora Tonks was actually an interesting and badass character, but then J*R got mad at her fandom for doing fandom things and turned her into a one-dimensional tragic love interest for her queer-coded character who she has admitted to writing as a fucking AIDs allegory.

I believe this view is rooted in her transphobia, TERF-ism and internalised misogyny, as J*R cannot create a 'good' woman who isn't motherly and feminine, but only in the acceptable way. This is seen in Rita Skeeter, who is also hyper-feminine and yet described in a very masculine way, with 'thick fingers' and a 'heavy-jawed face'.

Transphobia and UK Politics

The transphobia tends to rear its head most often because it is incredibly common and in the public eye, especially with the UK government repeatedly shooting down efforts to make progress, like how they blocked Scotland's law to make self-recognition easier for trans people. It is also evident in her TERF-ism and the fact that she no longer hides her support for anti-trans movements, and instead uses her platform and wealth to fund and promote them.

There is also the fact that she has also been using that same platform and wealth to publicly campaign against Scottish Independence for far longer.

The UK Tory (aka Conservative) Party has routinely held up J*R as a bastion of good-will, 'progress', and the ultimate citizen, even quoting her directly when sprouting anti-trans bullshit. While J*R will claim to be a Feminist and support Labour (the only real left-leaning opposition to the Tories), her views often align more with those she claims not to support.

Politics also show themselves in characters such as Seamus Finnegan, the only Irish character, with the most stereotypically Irish name there is, who is always blowing things up when trying to cast spells, and loves to drink. In the 90s, when HP was set, Northern Ireland was suffering from something known as 'The Troubles', wherein two sides known as 'Protestants' and 'Catholics', whether there was a religious affiliation or not, were bombing, street fighting, sniper attacks and committing other acts of civil warfare all throughout the country. And J*R put those actions onto a child.

That's some Tory shit right there.

Racism and Xenophobia in Writing

If you have seen any criticisms of J*R's writing of diverse characters, you will know that she has a massive, massive problem with using stereotypes, especially in names, to portray her Characters of Colour.

I think the most obvious tends to be Kingsley Shacklebolt, the only major black protagonist in the series. She named her only black character Shacklebolt.

SHACKLE bolt.

Just let that sink in for a minute.

Then there is Cho Chang, who's only personality traits include being sad about her boyfriend, kissing Harry Potter, and being smart. She is also the only main asian protagonist, and her name is just two east asian-sounding surnames put together.

'Cho' is Korean or Burmese, and 'Chang' is a romanised Chinese surname.

Padma and Parvati Patil rely on the same stereotypes. Their culture - especially the clothing - is completely butchered and used as nothing more than fan-service to prove how not-racist she is (yeah right) and are only around to be love interests who get tossed aside and treated horribly by Ron and Harry.

'Padma' is a Persian name while 'Parvati' is a Hindu/Sanskrit name.

If a writer needs to rely on stereotypes and racist views to write her characters of colour, than she is not a good writer and either needs to be held accountable and made to unlearn her biases, or simply not allowed to write anymore.

Anti-Semitism and Caricatures

Reminder to listen to Jewish People and the Jewish Community when it comes to Anti-Semitism in HP, not just some non-jewish 16-year-old with too much time on their hands and unlimited internet access trying to procrastinate revising for their exams!!

(Tumblr crashed when i was writing this part of the post,,,, feels targeted /lh) Also, this is not a definitive list of anti-semetic items in HP, go look at a Jewish person's perspective to fully understand! This is a good post from @/whilommm regarding the new HP game and this post by @/genderkoolaid which talks about a youtuber posting videos on antisemitism and other issues head-on.

Goblins are the most prolific anti-semetic stereotype seen throughout HP, and most other mythology.

The first and most obvious thing, in my opinion, is the description of their noses. Hooked noses are a very distinct trait found most often in Jewish people, and are described very often in the Goblins, and not only that, but Snape and other villains in HP have 'bad' or 'ugly' noses.

Goblins are also greedy money-hoarders who run the banks, which feeds into anti-semetic conspiracy theories about Jewish people running the world's economy, and the N@zi propaganda of Jewish people hoarding wealth and collapsing the German economy.

There are little-to-no female goblins. Which, while also feeding into the misogynistic side of J*R's writing, also presents jewish-coded characters as being inherently misogynistic when that is not the case of any ethnic and/or religious group.

The goblins are rude to wizards and any other outsider, which is a belief that likely stems from the fact that it is an incredibly hard and long process to convert fully to Judaism, as the beginning involves being turned away from converting three times by the same Rabbi. This does not make Judaism or Jewish People xenophobic or even otherwise cautious of outsiders, it is simply part of their religious conversion process made to deter people who do not genuinely want to be apart of the religion and to make sure those converting are doing so with good and honest intentions.

If the Death Eaters are meant to be Fascist N@zi Allegories, why not make the only jewish-coded characters you have actually well-fucking-written and main fucking characters. Or, better yet, Don't Call It A Fucking A Nazi Allagory!!! Oppression doesn't have to involve Fasicsm/Nazis!!

The New Harry Potter Game Not To Be Named And Only Ever Pirated If Even That is a whole other can of worms of blood libel, romanticising oppression and even more anti-semetic caricatures that deserves its own post.

Final Notes

This is not a definitive list, but simply what I personally am most angry about and can remember the clearest from my last re-read of Harry Potter. Other things to be considered: bad world building that makes no sense, werewolves as an AIDS allegory that then proceed to prey on kids, homophobia regarding dumbledore and wolfstar, and her use of slavery and 'slaves who enjoy being enslaved' because what the fuck was that thought process.

Here is a post @/chaos-in-one with some other links and more brilliant points about why people should hate J*R

[rookflower]

Russetfur x Sasha for the ask game?

it's good. russetfur's admittedly not a character i put a lot of thought to and like with sorrelpool, this is a ship i kind of view as temporary by default despite liking it- a moment in sasha's life where she finds genuine generosity and empathy from somebody in a time where she really needs it, and a moment in russetfur's life where she is forced to question her internalised xenophobia that she's likely adopted as a defense mechanism to secure her place in her clan as an ex-kittypet during a time where outsiders are becoming increasingly stigmatised, after connecting with this miserable kittypet that tigerstar has been mistreating. i can't remember much of the timeline of tigerstar and sasha so i can't exactly remember what goes down in what order though LOL (iirc it already confuses itself by having the dog thing happen while firestar already has his leader suffix? im getting off topic)

as someone who doesn't get big into warrior cats shipping (i have opinions on what ones i like and dislike and i respect it a lot but at the end of the day i dont really engage that much? im not as much of a huge shipping person as other people seem to be in general) quite often a piece of fanwork i like a lot is enough to sell me on a ship while also becoming what that ship Is to me so i feel i need to shoutout mudshadow's a love song to finance pmv because it takes up like 75% of the russetsasha space in my brain

[wearethewitches]

please do rewatch Dot and Bubble! the story is quite overtly about white supremacy. Lindy refused to interact with the Doctor because he is Black. she was shocked he and Ruby were in the same room due to segregation. she blocked the Doctor immediately but let Ruby stick around. all of her friends were white. the comments about contamination and voodoo and it being his duty to save her are all racist 💖 also, i would recommend not using the term raceblind- it's not a good thing to be wilfully ignorant. this is a great chance to educate yourself! good luck 🔥

i really agree, i should definitely rewatch, and learn more!!!

a lot of these things sometimes slip past me because i just wasn't surrounded by racism in my home, or where i live (except in media, obv) - and saying i'm raceblind isn't a willingly ignorant thing for me, i just genuinely don't understand racist vitriol when i see it, which is why i said unfortunately in the tag. my whole confusion over dot and bubble is a perfect example because what to a lot of viewers looked like overt racism, to me was just confusing, because i didn't understand what was being said and lacked context.

quite literally, it had to be spelled out to me - and i'm glad it was, because reading this ask with all your examples just made me enjoy the episode more.

and all your examples are actually SO INTERESTING! gahhhhh i love media analysis!!! the "voodoo" comment pinged weird to me, and i knew from there onwards that i would have to listen closely/rewatch it (which clearly i do!), but i ended the episode with a thinking face on, to which the doctor who feed and yourself helpfully explained. when i do rewatch it, seeing it through that lens will make it a lot more fun/devastating.

i'll keep in mind that this stuff might (most probably will) pop up more with ncuti's doctor; i've got that constant evolution of self idea in my brain at all times, especially concerning internalised racism and xenophobia, so i am totally welcome to learning, and unlearning, stuff like this as it pops up!

thanks for coming into my inbox, it really was appreciated!!!

edit: i remembered at last second that i found it briefly weird that there weren't many other non-white folk in the bubbles, but i put it down to the bbc itself being racist, not it being part of the narrative of the episode 😭😭😭 and that's definitely a bit of my white privilege poking through.

[laura-the-locust]

I've been doing some thinking about xenophobia, and the limits of tolerance. For the purposes of this post, I'll define xenophobia based on its etymology: it is the fear/distate/hate of otherness.

I have broadened the scope of the definition, because in the end racism, queerphobia, ableism, and many others boil down to one basic concept: "someone is existing in a way that's foreign, and I don't like it."

[The rest under the cutoff, this balooned into an essay]

What is interesting to me, is that there are lots of people who recognize the issue with xenophobia, only to turn around and do it to somebody else. From people who loathe racism, but are homophobes, through LGB folk, to queer people who are disgusted by polyamory. In the end, it seems that they value tolerance, but only up to a point, and the difference is mostly where that border lies.

And on every layer,* there'll be people who point out the similarities: poly people are otherized in the same way trans people are, who are otherized in the same way non-straight people are, et cetera. Because, again, it's all the same thing. Different people have different cutoff points for what they are willing to tolerate.

Or is it really tolerance? Or merely sticking out for yourself? Internalised whatever-phobia aside, a trans man isn't reluctantly allowing for the existence of trans people, he is trans, and has a vested interest in trans rights.

Tolerance is, at least to me, when you don't participate/are something, and maybe it even disgusts you, but you allow for other people to do/be it. For example: my dad is straight, and thinks I'll go to hell for being gay, but he tolerates it, and doesn't bitch and moan that gay people ought to be thrown in jail. He doesn't tolerate me being a trans woman, so he thinks I'm gay when I'm with a guy, and deadnames me.

In my opinion, tolerance requires you do not like the thing you are tolerating. Another example is how one responds to "cringy" behaviour. Are you part of the mob that makes the weird kid from a tiktok the Twitter's main character for the day, or do you simply cringe, shrug, and move on? The latter is tolerance. And the best thing, is that tolerance can be learned! You can train yourself to walk away, even if internally something disgusts you.

So let's bring up the "weird kids" you may have come across on the internet, especially on Tumblr: Xenogender people. Otherkin. Tulpamancers.

A warning light just lit in some of you's heads. "Is she gonna defend them?" First of all, you are the person this post is about and aimed towards, glad you're still around. Second of all, yes and no. Well, yes to xenogenders.

My point is, is that those communities are one of the most controversial, at least from what I saw in the little echo chamber in which I live. I don't really seek them out, they just pop up occasionally when I use the web. But I have seen tons of ridicule come their way, from people at any stage of the tolerance ladder.*

(For this next part, I will assume we all believe xenophobia to be unethical. If you do not, consider this: if punishing Otherness is okay, or even desired, unfortunately for you, you and everyone you love are Other in some way to the Majority. Yes, yes they are. Bigots are extremely good at finding differences to hate, it's their whole thing. Good luck.)

So let's go over what some of those criticisms are:

"Those people believe in something that's unproven, or provably incorrect!" Okay, reddit atheist (not ad hominem, just an insult). While I find the project of encouraging rationality to be important, being wrong isn't a crime, nor should it be. The only circumstances where ignorance should be forcefully fought against, is when it causes the ignorant to do harm. You know, like thinking gay sex causes AIDS.

"But those people are harmful!" Are they? Or does their existence simply make you uncomfortable? You know, like some people don't want black folks around their neighborhood. As stated previously, lack of tolerance is a skill issue on your part.

"But they are harming themselves!" Aha! A valid concern! Let's stop here for a moment.

This sort of starts another topic: what should be the limits of tolerance? Because "being weird" isn't it. Harming others is obviously not to be tolerated.** But with harming of the self, we are going into autonomy territory.

First of, bodily autonomy is, broadly speaking, good. Pursuit of freedom is one of my axioms, and if you think maximizing freedom is not desirable, I cannot have a conversation with you.

But what, if any, should its limits be? Self harm is bad, right? But... why? Well, physical self harm can and often does follow the same mechanism as an addiction, especially when used as a coping mechanism. This means escalation, which may result in permanent injury (which lowers quality of life) or even death (the utility of which is zero at best)(Yes, I am a utilitarian).

Okay, so if self delusion doesn't result in bodily harming yourself or others, it's fine, right? Sure, it's upsetting to think that someone is wrong on the internet, but is it really worth fighting over?

I'd argue that every time you go to someone that has "ghe/ghem | I am the reincarnation of Winston Churchill's cat" in their bio and tell them about how much they are not that, and reincarnation isn't real, or whatever, you are actually doing more harm. That catkin is not changing their mind. Do you honestly think that you are the first person that informed them that gheir views do not find evidence in objective reality? Obviously not! Ghe heard that already most of the times ghe spoke about it to anyone outside gheir community! And all you're doing is adding on to a pile of hate that gathers dust in gheir inbox, and possibly pushes ghem one step closer to doing something really inadvisable, even suicide.

"So what, delusions are okay, as long as you don't harm anyone?" Delusions are something one should work through with one's therapist, not with a NEET*** from Utah who has his own religious trauma he should be dealing with instead.

In conclusion: leave "weird people" alone, don't yuck other's yum if it doesn't influence you, and get a therapist. We all need one these days.

Footnotes:

*People don't always support minorities according to the steps I've laid out, but they usually do. Your non-binary mutual probably isn't racist.

**the specifics on when violence is permissible are a whole doctorate thesis on their own, but the general sentiment stands. Violence usually results in suffering, which is axiomatically bad.

***not hating on NEETs, I'm one myself. But you wouldn't have enough time to hate on christians on reddit if you had a job.

[3rdculturecharacter]

Hey guys! Just a friendly reminder that sometimes it IS third culture struggles... And sometimes it's internalised xenophobia. Know the signs.

Dont apologize for any of your cultures or catch yourself raising one on a pedestal above yourself. You have every right to be here and exist as you are.

[vazaha-tya]

stiles' internalised xenophobia is treated as such a normal thing in fanfics, it's so weird to read