Breaking down walls : a historical and philosophical response to xenophobia

Barriers to diversity are real and they carry significant consequences for our nation's cultural consciousness. Throughout history human societies have taken to rejecting the beliefs of other cultures for the primary purpose of preserving their own cultural integrity. It is this xenophobia, or fear of other cultures, that drives society to do this without recognition of the potential consequences. A holistic look at varying cultures over the course of time will demonstrate a consistent theme of xenophobia, manifesting in physical and metaphorical walls used to keep out foreign cultures. However, this resistance to culture ultimately results in a loss of the potential that a particular group of people might have. In this way, by denying other groups of people the ability to integrate into a society, we are in fact denying ourselves the benefits that they may be able to offer us. Xenophobia is detrimental to the progressive advancement of a society. In order to prevent this, we must tear down the walls that already exist, and prevent the construction of new ones.