Discriminating against anyone based on anything is utterly debilitating and should never be tolerated. If there are people who find discrimination wrong, there are also people who contribute to prejudice.
Discrimination can happen based on various factors such as culture, race, gender, religion, etc. The significant difference between Racism and Xenophobia is that the former generally means discrimination against a particular race and culture. In contrast, the latter means fear of foreign or unknown people.
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Key Differences
Racism
- It can be best described as discrimination done by a person against someone else based on cultural and racial differences. People who do Racism specifically dislike a particular culture or race and continue to mistreat them on many grounds.
- People who do this type of discrimination are referred to as Racists.
- Cultural and racial differences are the central area of this form of discrimination. The hate of a Racist towards a particular race or culture always carries it out.
- Discrimination carried out by white people against black and brown people is one of the significant examples of Racism. Here, the white racists do not like people of color and continue to treat them unfairly and disrespectfully.
Xenophobia
- It can be best described as fear-filled in people towards foreign and unknown people. When people have this fear, they specifically do not like people coming from a specific culture or race, but in general, they do not like people who are unknown to them, irrespective of their race or culture.
- People who have this fear are referred to as Xenophobic people.
- People coming from other countries, whether migrants or refugees are the prominent people affected by this fear. It does not matter what race or culture they are from; if they belong to some other country, they are prone to this form of behavior by Xenophobics.
- Discrimination carried out by the citizens of a country towards the migrants and refugees of that concerned country is one of the significant examples of Xenophobia.
Comparison Between Racism And Xenophobia
| Parameter | Racism | Xenophobia |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | It emerged way before the emergence of Xenophobia. This concept is estimated to have originated in the seventeenth century. Africans getting poorly and brutally treated by whites in the colonial USA is seen as the incidence that gave rise to the concept of Racism. | It emerged way after the emergence of Racism. It is estimated to have originated in 1880. Jean Martin De Saintours is seen as the man behind the origin of the concept of Xenophobia. |
| Meaning | It is a discriminatory ideology that believes that one race or ethnicity is superior to another race or culture. This form of discrimination is associated with the unfair and disrespectful treatment of people towards others who belong to a specific race or culture. | It is a type of fear or phobia involving discrimination against people because they are unknown individuals or foreigners. This form of fear is associated with xenophobics behaving unfairly and disrespectfully towards unknown people and foreigners. |
| Type of | Discrimination | Fear or Phobia |
| Primary types | There are not any primary types of this form of discrimination. | This concept can be broadly categorized into two main types: Immigrant and Cultural. |
| Followers | People who believe in this concept are referred to as Racists. These people generally are known to dislike or hate a particular or all other races and cultures. | People who believe in this concept are referred to as Xenophobics. These people have a sense of fear towards people who are either foreigners, migrants, or unknowns. |
| Unfair behavior against | This form of discrimination can be carried out against anyone. However, this is usually done against people of a particular race or culture. Different races and cultures, such as Africans and Asians, are more prone to this discrimination, especially by white racists. | This form of discrimination is usually carried out against those people who have migrated to a foreign country. This is because there are chances that the citizens of that country dislike foreigners. Also, this form of discrimination can be carried out against people who are unknown to xenophobics. |
| Superiority | The key feature of people who are indulged in the practices of Racism is that they always believe that they are superior to a particular or all cultures and races. | The people who have Xenophobia are just scared of the unknowns or foreigners. These people do not think that they are superior to others. |
| Concept | It is considered a broader concept than Xenophobia. | It is considered a narrower concept than Racism. |
Major Differences Between Racism and Xenophobia
What Exactly Is Racism?
Racism is best described as unfair and disrespectful treatment against people of a particular race or culture. People who indulge in this type of behavior are referred to as Racists.
These people don’t need to be unfair against people from different cultures or races, but it can happen against people of a particular culture and ethnicity. Racists are generally not afraid of foreigners or unknown people but of people from a specific race or culture.
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Key takeaways: Racism
- It is a form of discrimination that involves unfair and disrespectful treatment or behavior done by people towards a specific race or culture.
- People who indulge in this form of discrimination are termed, Racists. These people focus on disrespectfully treating people who belong to a race or culture they themselves do not like or hate.
- Generally, these people do not feel the same way about others as they feel about people belonging to a particular race or culture.
- Unlike Xenophobic individuals, these people specifically do not see foreigners or unknown people as a threat. Generally, they do not discriminate against them unless they belong to a race or culture they dislike.
What Exactly Is Xenophobia?
Xenophobia can be best described as a fear of people belonging to foreign countries or complete unknowns. People with this phobia do not fear people belonging to a specific culture or race but anyone who is unknown or belongs to a foreign country.
People who have this phobia are termed Xenophobics. People with this fear are generally afraid of immigrants and refugees, irrespective of their race or culture.
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Key takeaways: Xenophobia
- It is a form of fear that involves unfair and disrespectful treatment or behavior done by people toward people who are foreigners or unknowns.
- People who indulge in this type of behavior are termed Xenophobics. These people are scared and behave unfairly towards those individuals who are foreigners or just unknowns. These people do not care if the unknown individuals belong to what race or culture. Their being unknown is enough for them to misbehave.
- These people generally do not feel the same way if the person belongs to a race or culture, just as unknowns live with them or a part of the country. However, a person can be Xenophobic as well as Racist.
- Immigrants and refugees are more prone to this form of misbehavior.
The Contrast Between Racism And Xenophobia
Etymology
- Racism – The word Racism is estimated to have originated from the Arabic and Hebrew words “Ra’s” and “Rosh.”
- Xenophobia – The term Xenophobia is estimated to have originated from two Greek words, “Xenos” and “Phobos.” The former means “stranger,” while the latter means “fear.”
Origin
- Racism – The traces of this concept or discrimination can be traced back to as early as the seventeenth century. It is believed that this concept emerged in the United States of America (USA) upon the unfair treatment of Africans in the colonial period.
- Xenophobia – The traces of this concept or fear take us back to the nineteenth century, precisely 1880. It is estimated that this concept was coined by a man named Jean Martin De Saintours.
Meaning
- Racism – It refers to a form of discrimination that is associated with an unfair and disrespectful treatment towards a particular set of people who happen to belong to a specific race or culture. A racist usually misbehaves with people who belong to a race or culture that the racist dislikes. This form of discrimination highly believes that their race or culture is superior to the race or culture of the person they discriminate against.
- Xenophobia refers to a fear of discriminating against people because they are unknown. A xenophobic person is generally scared of foreigners or unknown individuals and misbehaves or discriminates against them on the same grounds. This fear typically does not believe that they are superior to unknown individuals; instead, they are just scared of them.
Primary Types
- Racism – There are not any primary types of this form of discrimination.
- Xenophobia – This fear can be broadly categorized into two main categories: Immigrant and Cultural. Immigrant Xenophobia is concerned with mistreating individuals because xenophobic people believe these immigrants should not be a part of society. On the other hand, cultural Xenophobia is concerned with not accepting something that is a part of different cultures or traditionality.
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Xenophobia can be categorized into two primary types:
- Immigrant Xenophobia: As the name suggests, this type of phobia focuses on people who happen to be an Immigrant or look like they are one. The extent of this phobia is not limited to only Immigrants, but it also includes strangers.
- Cultural Xenophobia: This type of phobia is associated with targetting and disregarding all the other cultures that exist in a society. A person may express this phobia by commenting negatively or saying no to everything that belongs to another culture.
Followers
- Racism – People who follow this concept and believe in it are termed Racists. These individuals perform acts of discrimination against the people who belong to a specific culture or race they dislike or hate. These people are generally not afraid of unknowns unless they belong to a race or culture they dislike.
- Xenophobia – People who have this fear are termed xenophobic individuals. These individuals perform acts of unfair treatment or discriminate against people who are foreigners or just unknown to them. However, these people do not necessarily hate people from a specific culture or race.
Discrimination Against
- Racism – This discrimination or unfair treatment usually happens against people of a specific race or culture. In different parts of the world, various racists could dislike other races or cultures and would discriminate against them on the same grounds. White racist people discriminating the people of color is the most prominent example of such discrimination.
- Xenophobia – This discrimination typically occurs against people who have migrated from a foreign country or are just unknown to the xenophobics. Mainly, immigrants and refugees are more prone to and are discriminated against on these grounds worldwide.
Superiority
- Racism – This form of discrimination is associated with Racists thinking that they are superior to others and end up discriminating against people from different cultures or races.
- Xenophobia – This concept does not necessarily believe they are superior to unknowns. Still, they fear foreigners and unknowns and think they can harm them.
Concept
- Racism – In comparison with Xenophobia, this concept is broader. This is because racists always dislike someone from a specific race or culture. This also includes all the unknown and foreigners who belong to that particular race or culture and thus are disliked or hated by the racist.
- Xenophobia – In comparison with Racism, this concept is narrower. This is because it does not matter what race or culture a person is. What matters is if he knows the xenophobic person or not. A person from a race or culture can be discriminated against if he does not know the xenophobic person. At the same time, another person belonging to the concerned race or culture can be liked if the xenophobic person knows them. Some people also happen to believe that this fear is nothing but another form of Racism.
CONCLUSION
The terms Racism and Xenophobia are often taken as synonyms and used interchangeably due to many similarities. But despite the similarities, both are very different. The significant difference between Racism and Xenophobia is that the former is associated with hating or disliking people of a particular race or culture. In contrast, the latter is associated with disliking or hating foreigners or unknowns.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q1. When did the concept of Racism and Xenophobia emerge?
It is estimated that the concept of Racism emerged way before the concept of Xenophobia. The former is estimated to have emerged in the seventeenth century, while the latter is estimated to have originated in the nineteenth century.
Q2. What gave rise to the concept of Racism?
The colonial rule prevailing in the United States of America (USA) back then is seen as the time period that gave rise to the concept of Racism. This concept is believed to have originated due to the unfair treatment of whites against Africans.
Q3. What are the different types of Xenophobia?
This form of fear can be broadly categorized into two types: Immigrant and Cultural Xenophobia. The former is associated with disliking and not approving of the presence of immigrants in society. In contrast, the latter is associated with disregarding the presence of other cultures’ practices and traditions in society.
Q4. What are the major differences between Racism and Xenophobia?
The major difference between Racism and Xenophobia is that the former involves discrimination against people of a specific race or culture. At the same time, the latter is associated with a feeling of fear against people who are foreigners or unknowns.
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