Xenophobia is the fear or dislike of people from other countries. In this nation, it has always been said that we welcome all, but do we really? Or, should I say, do we still? Take a minute to read and think about Jerry’s words here … I think our nation is richer for the diversity that we have, don’t you?
The arrival of coronavirus has many on Americans edge, and rightfully so. While most focus on what they can do to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus, others are pointing accusing fingers at whomever they believe to be responsible for the virus’s outbreak and spread. On Fox News shows one can listen to various Trump-inspired conservatives accuse the Chinese, North Koreans, and even liberal Americans.
Yes, we need careful screening of international travelers and, at times, even temporary travel bans. But the truth is that no one knows for sure where or how the coronavirus began its invasion. We may never know for certain. At this point, all we can know for certain is that on a planet dramatically contracted by modern travel methods, viruses hitch rides and quickly attack even remote locations. Localized virus outbreaks are a thing of the past.
But that won’t stop modern-day…
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And this comes just one day after Mitch McConnell promises/threatens to renew the attempt to repeal ACA immediately following the mid-term elections next month! Methinks the first person da prez needs to talk to is ol’ Mitchie!
The PDF showing the full chart can be found 
Mr. Zawadski has filed a lawsuit and is represented by Lambda Legal, an LGBT rights law firm and advocacy organization based in New York. The owners of the funeral home, Ted and Henrietta Brewer, deny that they refused to pick up the body or that they made the comment, but their attorney offers no other explanation.
Immigrants and refugees are also targets of bigotry, again enhanced by the hate-filled rhetoric that is bandied about as a result of the current political climate. Just as with any other group of humans, there are a few bad apples, but most refugees and immigrants came here hoping to build a life that would be safer than their old life, and instead they are finding danger lurks in the form of bigoted citizenry who have been told, and believe, that every Mexican is a rapist or murderer, and every Middle-Easterner is a terrorist.
Yesterday, a friend of my neighbor was shopping in a local Kroger, shopping for food to feed her family, when she accidentally bumped her cart into that of another shopper. She apologized, the other shopper said “no problem”, and the matter should have ended there. However, as she moved on, she heard the other shopper say to her friend “ISIS”. The friend of my neighbor, you see, was wearing her traditional hijab.
We, those of us who are socially and morally conscious of such things, try to combat racism in the U.S. through legal channels and by attacking the institutions that promote or tolerate such behaviour. That, too, is necessary, but I wonder if perhaps we would be more effective by using what little voice we have to combat the smaller events like those listed above. For example, had I been shopping and seen the incident between my neighbor’s friend and the other woman, I might have stepped in and explained to the woman that: a) the proper term is Daesh, not ISIS; b) the vast majority of Muslims are not affiliated with terrorist organizations like Daesh; and c) Islam is a religion of peace and love, not hate. Frankly, by the time I finished with that lady, she probably would have parked her cart and went running out of the store, as you all know how I am once I step up onto my soapbox! Or, had I been the woman who walked into the fast food place and was immediately waited on, I might have said, “No, she (the Hispanic woman) was here first … please take her order first.” And I will not even speculate on what I might have done had I come upon the man holding the sign, other than to say I would be calling upon my friends to take up a collection for bail money instead of writing this blog post.
It is called ‘everyday racism’, and it is relatively small things like this that grow into full-blown racism of the type we see propagated by various organizations, particularly this year in the culture of fear, bigotry and multiple phobias that have been pushed forth by politicians, religious leaders and the media. People are now afraid to use public restrooms, they are afraid of women wearing a hijab, they are afraid of people who look, speak and act differently than themselves. We must bring common sense back to the streets. We must be willing to stand up for our beliefs, the belief upon which this nation is based, that “All Men (and women) Are Created Equal”. We must be willing to stand up to the bigot and the xenophobe.
Filosofa's Word 