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Fear And Stereotyping Research Paper

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Fear and Stereotyping
At this particular moment in history we are witnessing the growing hostile attitudes toward Muslims and people of middle eastern descent, and toward those of Hispanic descent. I believe fear is the foundation or root of this hostility. Psychologist believe we use stereotyping to process information about our world on a macro level and this is necessary in order to organize and simplify knowledge. (Murphy Paul, 2015) But, when we allow fear to dictate our decision making process, this necessary tool can become a weapon.
Fear is the root of all bias. Fear of the unknown. Fear of change. Fear of the “others”. Every time we make a comment or think in terms of “those people”, every time we use stereotypes as identifiers, we …show more content…
Segregation or the separation of the “us” and “them” reflects the fear that “they” are different. Laws that are economically detrimental to “them” reflect ones need for a scapegoat. This institutionalized segregation and economic oppression can be seen in laws like Jim Crow or caste systems. Finally, institutionalized genocide reflects the demonization of the “others”. This pattern, leading to genocide, can be found through out history, most notoriously in Nazi Germany's Final Solution. Others examples include Rwanda, The United States and the “Indian Problem”, and Colonial Britain. Unfortunately, the list is extensive.
All that is needed is a charismatic voice to take advantage of the current sociopolitical/economic climate, turning public sentiment against a particular group of people, and the weed of fear will grow. The climate is right and the voices are in the wind, blowing derision and anger. 9/11 was tipping point between those insignificant, harmless stereotypical attitudes and the growing hostile ones we see today toward Muslims. Before the American public could come to their sense and recognize this dangerous pattern of thinking, the

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