Fear divides people; trust and acceptance of others unites them.
Transcript of speech given by renowned sociologist John Smith at a TED talk event in Sydney, Australia following the Paris attacks.
Why has the proposal for a mosque in Bendigo angered so many of the city’s residents? The reason centres around fear. Fear of the different, fear of the unknown, fear of the unfamiliar; these facets of xenophobia have exposed themselves as the vicious, irrational hatred seen in riots and protests against this project. The hatred glaring from the eyes of protesters brandishing their fists, screeching racial slurs to anyone who’d listen. This is merely a single example of the attitudes of people who feel marginalised, ignored and, in truth, dread outsiders overwhelming society.
In a world exponentially growing in diversity, intolerance of migrants has begun to be more noticeable. Today, extremists acting on an abhorrence against outsiders often engulf the media. These acts of hate, of prejudice, are motivated by various forms of just one emotion; fear. These people resent foreigners out of fear for their future, of being outnumbered and overthrown. They question their place in a society progressing too rapidly for them to cope. And, when the authorities do not share in their radical opinions, their sense of alienation is heightened and so, feeling unheard, they take matters to their own hands. Riots and other, nefarious displays of animosity soon follow and, thus, society is divided, fractured into two sides sharing but one thing in common; a feeling of deep loathing for one-another. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, many Muslims were attacked mercilessly for their religious link for Al-Qaeda. In particular, women, young and old, were assaulted simply because their attire identified them as Muslim. Ignorantly, the culprits have attempted to avenge the sins of a few on an entire religion. More recently, the terror attacks in Paris last year have re-ignited hatred towards Muslims. Deep-rooted fears within intolerants have resurfaced one more. In the past few months, the plan to establish a mosque in Bendigo was met with great backlash and fury. Protests were staged, petitions were signed and appeals were made to the High Court. Why would people spend these large amounts of money on such a cause? The psychology behind those against the proposal is rather simple; they are intimidated by the prospect of Muslim domination in their city. As their objections are inevitably rejected by the government, their anger intensifies and, with it, the segregation created grows.
Individuals in positions of power are instrumental in influencing the attitudes of entire populations. A parochial point of view by one can engender similar views in many others and, likewise, a racist attitude by a leader can bring about the separation of a society. “We will decide who comes to this country,” stated John Howard at his electoral campaign launch in 2001, irrevocably sealing Australia’s attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers. In 2001, Howard’s stance drew many supporters. Supporters who, like him, feared being outnumbered and dominated by these outsiders. He encouraged xenophobic attitudes in order to capitalise on the suspicions of a few and gather a following. In the past year, presidential candidate of the US, Donald Trump, has used a similar approach. Trump uses fear as an agent to further his bid for presidency. Offering a vision to “make America great again”, he has steadily gained a congregation of those sharing in his uneasiness towards outsiders. In a sense, Trump’s supporters are united in their common standpoint against foreigners, specifically Mexicans, yet on the grander scale, the United States remain divided. Fundamentally, Trump, Howard and other like them lack the ability to understand the full scope of the issue. They do not stop to ponder the possibility that these people are faced with very little choice. They are consumed by their adherence to stereotypes and spread their fears, resulting in a great discord between people.