Vazquez |1

Kevin Vazquez
English 11th-1
Ms. Elizabeth Rodriguez
April 18, 2016
The Help Blog
About Xenophobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that is usually defined as an intense or irrational
dislike or fear of a particular object, animal or situation. Consequently, xenophobia is the fear or
hatred of strangers, or foreigners. This phobia is a rare but commonly known disorder that can
harm a persons life and surroundings, depending on the individual.
This disorder affects a persons social life because it will make him or her have a hard
time to bond, treat, and even think of others the same way. For example, if an Arab joins a
basketball team that has a black basketball player that fears Arabs, that black person may not talk
to the Arab, want to get close to the Arab, and see the Arab as an inferior, dangerous, or weird
person. Also, a group of people that have xenophobia can cause havoc to an entire society
because each individual in the communion will believe that they have a right to fear or hate a
person, or object. One well-known example is the Ku Klux Klan, an anti-Black movement.
However, the effects from the disorder differ from person to person. In other words, that it may
be harder or easier to break away from the disorder because, in the end, fear is dangerous.
Therefore, one should try to get rid of his or her fear. For example, if a person is afraid of Arabs
for his or her entire life, he or she might influence other people in to fearing Arabs, which would

Vazquez |2
then increase the hatred of Arabs in that neighborhood. In other words, he or she might make a
hostile community towards Arabs due to his convincing, but false, assumptions that he was able
to develop throughout his or her life. However, if this is taken care of at an early age, he or she
might help others with a similar xenophobia and show them that one can get rid of his or her
fear, and show society that one must accept others, if the xenophobia had to do with a certain
skin or nationality..
In essence, xenophobia is a stress that restricts a persons lifestyle. First, it makes the
person believe that his or her fear will harm society as a whole. Second, the disorder shapes the
persons way of thinking towards other people, places, animals, objects, etc. Third, the fear may
cause the person to impact the world in a negative way. Finally, xenophobia is a commonly
known disorder that, depending on the fear and the person, should be treated immediately.

Vazquez |3

Works Cited

Fritscher, Lisa. "What is Xenophobia?" abouthealth 28 February 2016: 1-2. Article.

http://phobias.about.com/od/phobiaslist/a/xenophobia.htm
Thomas, Tanya. "Examples in World History." MeDIndia 10 August 2010: 1-2. Article
http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/xenophobia-examples.htm

Vazquez |4