Xenophobia vs Racism

Sometimes people think that xenophobia and racism are similar and their usage can be interchanged. However, this is not the case as the two words are very different. Xenophobia refers to dislike or fearing unknown or something that is different from you. Racism on the other hand relates that any race determines the traits of human and their capacity making them more superior than the any other race. Across the world there are racial discriminations present between people belonging to different groups. They are discriminated against based on their cultural or ethnic beliefs.

Xenophobia is not only aversion to a person but it is a fear or dislike of other cultures and beliefs. Even though some people feel that is a certain ‘target’ group that is not really accepted by the society; in reality it is the phobic who holds such reservations and beliefs. It may be possible that the phobic person knows that he or she is averse to the target group, they may not accept the fact that they are actually afraid or it is their fear. A xenophobic person has to only think of one thing – that the target group is in fact foreigners. This argument depicts the fact that xenophobia and racism are totally different because a person belonging to a different race may have the same nationality. So while xenophobia comprises of multiple aspects, racism is based only on one aspect.

For example homosexual people can easily become the target of a Xenophobic while they will not be the target of the racists. Some racists went on to prove scientifically that whites were more superior to other races and that they were superior to the Jews also. This gave birth to holocaust rationalization. Slavery and colonization in which blacks were treated as inferior races was also a part of racism. Apart from this racism also tried to rationalize homophobia in which the logic was that anything that goes against God is sinful.

In racism, racists treat people belonging to one race with complete disrespect and cause humiliation. This practice is not ethical and moral and is not tolerated by most of the parts in the civilized world. On the other hand when people belonging to one culture are afraid of another culture, they are called xenophobic. Even this practice is unlawful and not tolerated by the society today.

Summary:
1.Xenophobia refers to dislike or fearing unknown. However, racism refers to disliking a certain race of humans.
2.A xenophobic does not like anyone who is different from the rest and does something that is sinful (like homosexuality). On the other hand racist doesn’t tolerate people who do not belong to his or her human trait.
3.Slavery and colonization can be attributed to racism.