you Close your eyes and imagine a foreigner. Who do you see? Maybe a French exchange student? A Polish primary school teacher? A Hipster from New York?
According to a representative study by the University of Leipzig, nearly every third German is a foreigner representing enemy positions, so probably also people in your circle. How do you explain this hatred against the French, the poles, Americans?
clearly, other foreigners . Who looks for example, black or Arabic, is not only for this study, which must be expected in Germany, with hostility – even if he or she has for a Long time a German passport.
actually, it is not a question of foreigners and the nationality plays at most a subordinate role. In the last year about most of the foreigners who came to Germany were Poland, the play but in the immigration debate, no role.
so, to put it bluntly, no Grassi is named at the end of xenophobia in Germany – but it is quite a phenomenon commonly (and also by renowned researchers). This may sound like a pseudo-problem from the ivory tower, but it is not: How to approach a company from a known big Problem, without reason, because the right words are missing?
“We have to name the prejudice”
For their biannual study wanted to determine the Leipzig-based researchers, the views of the respondents. For this, the participants should indicate how much you agree with the following statement: “The Federal Republic is überfremdet by the many foreigners in a dangerous dimension.”
“Alienation” is a term of the right-wing scene, and why tamper with a scientist at all with such an ambiguous word as “foreigners”? “That’s a lovely word,” says Director of studies Oliver Decker, “the people respond.” The only way the spread of resentment let rise: “We have to name the prejudice and queries, otherwise we can not measure.”
But against whom the judge be massive reservations?
“We have not collected, to whom the people at ‘foreigners’ think,” says Decker. “But we know what Form of Ressentiment is. Its prevalence and causes of interest to us.” Now, the researchers know how big the reservations are and where you have to be particularly large in East Germany, for example, where hardly any foreigners live. But the researchers do not know exactly who the rejected people, these “foreigners”.
Pegida rally in Dresden (October)
The scientists, you can’t blame your study has reached the goal: figure out how large the resentment. The thing points to a bigger Problem – one that has intensified since the success of right-wing populist movements and the society as a whole: How problems should be solved in a negotiated, if you can’t even name correctly?
Many media outlets, including MIRROR ONLINE, reported the Leipzig study, most of the resentments were against “foreigners” in the center. It’s possible that in Aachen, many readers thought it to Belgian immigrants, and in the Bay of pubs, a debate about criminal Danes broke out. More likely, however, is that many Germans have a Problem with some religious communities or people of certain skin.
What is studied in the Leipzig extremism researchers, is the widespread rejection of people in this country are often perceived as “foreign”. One could therefore speak of “xenophobia” or “xenophobia” – common terms, which by the way has used also the author of this article in their own texts.
The only Problem is: Who speaks of the hatred , assumes and accepts the perspective of the Xenophobe ; the concept of not questioning what is “self” and what is “foreign,” and whether this classification in groups even logical.
different looking, different speaking, different praying
Some of the erzkatholischem Senior like to be a Lutheran foreign to many recipients of social assistance fear of strangers, possibly with millionaires. There may be many plausible reasons to keep other people or groups for “foreign” – but with what “xenophobia” means, apparently, has to do only a little.
this is Also why it is problematic to speak of “stranger fear” and “xenophobia”. With the uncritical acceptance of this terms, you can be racist, Islam-haters and anti-Semites is a bogus argument. What bother you really is reflected in the idea of a “foreign Infiltration”: different looking, different speaking, different people praying.
Why an open society should speak openly about the irrational and questionable Fears, with precise vocabulary? The problems of hot, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, anti-Gypsyism. Perhaps that’s not just beautiful words. But social debate not a beauty contest.