Fear of the Other
Rejecting the Politics of Fear
“The art of living… is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.”
~ Alan Watts
The idea of the other invades all aspects of society and politics. This is not new. Dictators and demagogues throughout history have used fear to gain, and hold on to, political power. While the people and location may change, the recipe remains essentially the same. They stoke fear of an “other” or play on the people’s fears to attract followers, while disregarding the actual root causes of the fear and despair.
Fear of the other is closely linked to tribalism, which is certainly on the rise in American politics. According to psychology, our association with our “tribe” is more intense when we feel threatened. While politicians didn’t invent this connection, they certainly use it to their advantage. They make us fearful of imagined threats using the idea of Us vs. Them.
In the past few elections, fear of the other was used to great effect among certain groups of voters. Extreme xenophobia coupled with divisive messages from politicians have led to immediate suspicion of anyone that is not like us, whether this is people from another country, of another race, or even fellow citizens who happen to disagree with us politically.
Look at some examples here from recent politics:
· Mexicans are rapists
· Terrorists
· Immigrants are stealing your jobs
· Democrats want to destroy the country
· Socialism is coming for you
· Your Second Amendment rights are in jeopardy
· People protesting for racial justice are “thugs” or “criminals”
The message is clear: Be afraid. Pull closer to those “like” you and stay away from the “other” because the “other” is dangerous and wants to take something from you. Certain politicians want you to be afraid, constantly feel like you are in danger, and believe that only they can save you and prevent the many imagined horrors from happening.
Rejecting Fear Based Politics
We have been conditioned to fear the other and see ourselves as separate from others. Why? Look deeper at the words of the one who is trying to make you afraid. Rather than falling into the trap, ask a few questions. Who is this person? What do they want me to fear or do because I am afraid? What does this person gain from my fear? In politics, they always have something to gain, usually your vote or support for a specific policy or action.
In reality, there is nothing to fear simply because someone is from another country or belongs to a different religion. There are a few things you can do to avoid getting sucked into a fear spiral. One is to reduce your own exposure to media. You can stay informed of the most important news stories, while avoiding the unending stress of the 24 hour news cycle.
While we are being conditioned and encouraged to fear “illegal” immigrants, Muslims, or a political group, the things that actually need to be addressed are being ignored, such as inequality, racism, and environmental destruction. People continue to struggle just to make enough money to keep a roof over their heads, while politicians are distracting them with imagined problems and directing their despair, fear, and anger to the other.
This entire problem is rooted in the fallacy of the other. In fact, we are all one. There is no other. We separate ourselves into little groups based on race, religion, or country of origin, but these are all imagined differences invented by people to divide us. We can reject fear and the whole idea of the other because we are all one race: human. Only when we know that will we know peace.
