Nationalism and xenophobia' on rise ahead of European elections

[angos]

Most people with these phobias make up reasons to rationalise them, so the phobia seems rational to them.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_question

 

No apparently most people know their phobia is irrational, even though they might make up excuses to justify it.

 

Most people are aware of their phobia. and people don't choose to have a phobia.

[Happ Hazzard]

It's not us British that are xenophobic. It's those bloody foreigners!

[jfish1936]

It's natural to like and trust people like yourself.

To start with, your own family; you share attitudes, and ways of expression; probably religion.

Then, people from your part of Britain; would you trust and relate to a Yorkshireman more than a Londoner?

(Getting into trouble here) would you trust a native British before a Frenchman/German\Spaniard?

If you share a common language and background, it's easier to build trust. Building trust across a divide of language is less easy. Building trust over culture barriers (say, I believe women are equal to men; the man I'm talking to believes women should not be seen or heard in public ) is much harder.

[angos]

"Do you have an irrational dislike or fear people from other countries".

 

The question is twofold. Which part of the question are you asking answers for?

 

1. Do you have an irrational dislike of people from other countries.

 

or

 

2. Do you fear people from other countries.

 

There's a "yes" and "no" answer for both as their not the same question.

 

To be have a phobia you have to fear or dislike something, fear or dislike of spider, confined spaces, people from other countries, and it as to be an irrational fear or dislike. So the first thing to answer is, "do you fear or dislike people from other countries"? If the answer is yes you then you need to consider whether that fear or dislike is irrational. If you don't fear or dislike people from other countries then you can't have a phobia towards them.

[Zamo]

It's natural to like and trust people like yourself.

To start with, your own family; you share attitudes, and ways of expression; probably religion.

Then, people from your part of Britain; would you trust and relate to a Yorkshireman more than a Londoner?

(Getting into trouble here) would you trust a native British before a Frenchman/German\Spaniard?

If you share a common language and background, it's easier to build trust. Building trust across a divide of language is less easy. Building trust over culture barriers (say, I believe women are equal to men; the man I'm talking to believes women should not be seen or heard in public ) is much harder.

 

Exactly. Humans are a communal species. What we have in common unites us and our difference divide us... despite what multi-culturist keep saying.

 

It does not mean we cannot tolerate 'different' but it tolerance of 'different' requires it not pose a threat to the community or it will be turned on. Unfortunately, there has been no quantum leap in human evolution and we are still, at our core, a base animal and we consistently prove it time and time again.

[L00b]

Opinion polls months ahead of the vote, which takes place in all EU countries on May 22-25, suggest candidates on the far left and far right will gain support as voters express frustration with Europe after three years of financial turmoil, contracting growth and job losses.<...>

So how does a government stop people from being xenophobic, and what does it mean to be xenophobic.<...>

The above is posing a false premise, i.e. that the electorate for such parties is xenophobic and supporting them for that reason.

 

Populist (rather than 'solely' xenophobic) parties are making headway everywhere in the EU atm because the level of discontent from the electorate at large is reaching critical mass, due to how the factors which you highlighted (in bold in the quote) affect them directly (fiscal beating, eroding standards of living, etc.) and how the Gvts are increasingly perceived as incapable of dealing with the situation credibly.

 

With ever-less political distinction between, and ever-diminishing popularity for, the main parties (usually centre right and centre left, most EU countries you look at), and in the comparably ever-dimishing perceived relevance of credible alternatives (e.g. Communists, Greens, Liberals), these populist parties are becoming the main opposition parties effectively by default, regardless of whether the Gvt or Coalition at the helm is left or right.

 

Hollande this week broke the all-time record for impopularity in France, and the right (UMP) is still giving out mixed/confused messages (upping the xenophobic ante in the 'Roms' national debate, then apologising/retracting shortly after). Marine Le Pen is simply trundling on and gathering voting intentions by default. Her popularity rate this week is 33% and still climbing.

 

France by and large is no more xenophobic this week than it was last month or last year. But it's getting ever more discontent at the deal it's getting from the Elysée.

 

Hollande's latest great idea last week (promptly voted in by the National Assembly) was to tax savings retroactively (back to 1997) at the highest social contribution rate (15.5%). Cue a huge jump in OAP support...for the Front National, rather than the 'standard' opposition (UMP, centre right). Very atypical for voters of that class of age.

 

By now, I'd call it a vicious circle, which neither of the main parties have any clue or strategy for dealing with. Whichever country I look at (Norway, Austria, few others), the political dynamic is looking pretty much the same.

 

1930s all over again. As I expected, tbh

[Zamo]

The above is posing a false premise, i.e. that the electorate for such parties is xenophobic and supporting them for that reason.

 

Populist (rather than 'solely' xenophobic) parties are making headway everywhere in the EU atm because the level of discontent from the electorate at large is reaching critical mass, due to how the factors which you highlighted (in bold in the quote) affect them directly (fiscal beating, eroding standards of living, etc.) and how the Gvts are increasingly perceived as incapable of dealing with the situation credibly.

 

With ever-less political distinction between, and ever-diminishing popularity for, the main parties (usually centre right and centre left, most EU countries you look at), and in the comparably ever-dimishing perceived relevance of credible alternatives (e.g. Communists, Greens, Liberals), these populist parties are becoming the main opposition parties effectively by default, regardless of whether the Gvt or Coalition at the helm is left or right.

 

Hollande this week broke the all-time record for impopularity in France, and the right (UMP) is still giving out mixed/confused messages (upping the xenophobic ante in the 'Roms' national debate, then apologising/retracting shortly after). Marine Le Pen is simply trundling on and gathering voting intentions by default. Her popularity rate this week is 33% and still climbing.

 

France by and large is no more xenophobic this week than it was last month or last year. But it's getting ever more discontent at the deal it's getting from the Elysée.

 

Hollande's latest great idea last week (promptly voted in by the National Assembly) was to tax savings retroactively (back to 1997) at the highest social contribution rate (15.5%). Cue a huge jump in OAP support...for the Front National, rather than the 'standard' opposition (UMP, centre right). Very atypical for voters of that class of age.

 

By now, I'd call it a vicious circle, which neither of the main parties have any clue or strategy for dealing with. Whichever country I look at (Norway, Austria, few others), the political dynamic is looking pretty much the same.

 

1930s all over again. As I expected, tbh

 

It is people behaving like people do when times get tough and it should be no surprise... although of course it is.

 

It is easy to be tolerant when you are comfortably off and you and your neighbours all have too much to lose by fighting over petty differences. But when you take it all away, and people are competing for the scrapes, then they start turning on each other. When that happens you don't want to be 'different' from the main pack because they're the ones likely to be sacrificed. Call it nationalism, xenophobia, racism or whatever you want... giving it an ugly name is not enough to stop people doing it. We're animals.

[Flanker7]

We can slow the rise of Nationalism and Xenophobia by education, education education!

BUT

Differences between cultural mores make this very difficult when our ways are so ingrained, even when we understand them. For example:-

The immodest dressing of Western women when seen through Asian eyes and there's a whole can of worms therein re: equality.

Telling the truth - some cultures tell the truth as a matter of course others don't tell you the truth unless there a good reason to, thereby protecting themselves.

 

All societies are becoming more alike we just need another few hundred years.

[angos]

The above is posing a false premise, i.e. that the electorate for such parties is xenophobic and supporting them for that reason.

 

Populist (rather than 'solely' xenophobic) parties are making headway everywhere in the EU atm because the level of discontent from the electorate at large is reaching critical mass, due to how the factors which you highlighted (in bold in the quote) affect them directly (fiscal beating, eroding standards of living, etc.) and how the Gvts are increasingly perceived as incapable of dealing with the situation credibly.

 

With ever-less political distinction between, and ever-diminishing popularity for, the main parties (usually centre right and centre left, most EU countries you look at), and in the comparably ever-dimishing perceived relevance of credible alternatives (e.g. Communists, Greens, Liberals), these populist parties are becoming the main opposition parties effectively by default, regardless of whether the Gvt or Coalition at the helm is left or right.

 

Hollande this week broke the all-time record for impopularity in France, and the right (UMP) is still giving out mixed/confused messages (upping the xenophobic ante in the 'Roms' national debate, then apologising/retracting shortly after). Marine Le Pen is simply trundling on and gathering voting intentions by default. Her popularity rate this week is 33% and still climbing.

 

France by and large is no more xenophobic this week than it was last month or last year. But it's getting ever more discontent at the deal it's getting from the Elysée.

 

Hollande's latest great idea last week (promptly voted in by the National Assembly) was to tax savings retroactively (back to 1997) at the highest social contribution rate (15.5%). Cue a huge jump in OAP support...for the Front National, rather than the 'standard' opposition (UMP, centre right). Very atypical for voters of that class of age.

 

By now, I'd call it a vicious circle, which neither of the main parties have any clue or strategy for dealing with. Whichever country I look at (Norway, Austria, few others), the political dynamic is looking pretty much the same.

 

1930s all over again. As I expected, tbh

 

So it would appear that people that are considering vote for such parties are being described as racist and xenophobic in the hope that it puts some of them off voting for these parties.

[L00b]

So it would appear that people that are considering vote for such parties are being described as racist and xenophobic in the hope that it puts some of them off voting for these parties.

It won't work.

 

Just the same as it does not work on here, or most anywhere else: the racist 'card' has been overplayed to such an extent and for so long, that playing it these days automatically stifles the debate, and nullifies it.

 

I know several FN would-be voters. All of them smart, highly-educated, middle-class people, whom I know not to be racist/xenophobic in the least. They can see clearly through this rethoric ("all FN voters are racist bigots etc.") and choose to ignore it completely. It simply doesn't apply to them, and in the grand scheme of things, the racist/xenophobic overtones of the FN are outweighed by the pseudo-pragmatic (populist in the main, though some have merit) socio-economic policies it promises.

 

Without exception, their voting intention stems from a general feeling of betrayal by 'conventional' politicians and that enough is enough, and that there is no more useful voting choice to get this message through than the FN.

 

I understand how they feel and do not think any less of them for it, but am forever cautioning about being careful about what they wish...