For example, "they're taking our jobs" is the problem here even more than "they don't speak our language".
Oh, definitely a major part of it. One thing I learned in economics is that there's almost always a correlation between an economy's strength and the immigration policies: the stronger an economy grows, the more like immigration (on a political as well as social level) is going to be seen as a good thing, a welcome thing. When the economy starts failing, one of the very first prices paid is by immigrants, who will find themselves on the wrong end of a variety of political and social ill-feeling... all of which are related to the taking-our-jobs issue.
It's that difference between what X are like by themselves and what X will do to others ("us", as it were) - "you eat smelly food" vs "you're a thief", "you're effete" vs "you're a sexual predator" - that makes some prejudices easier to dispel than others on the basis of knowing somebody from group X.
Ayup, and I think part of that, too, is that those who are more likely to want to ostracize or sideline others are more likely to suspect that others have the same inclination. Shorter version because today I am tired, but it's sort of like the notion that liars are the first to suspect that others are lying. Longer version because I'm not that tired: if a person is kind and considerate to other "real" nationals, but wants to (or actually does) ostracize the "not-real not-true" nationals (ie immigrants), then the person -- at least IME -- is more likely to assume that immigrants are one thing amongst themselves and another thing when among the larger non-immigrant group. Which makes for a whole 'nother passel of tarbaby.
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Date: 1 Sep 2010 09:35 pm (UTC)Oh, definitely a major part of it. One thing I learned in economics is that there's almost always a correlation between an economy's strength and the immigration policies: the stronger an economy grows, the more like immigration (on a political as well as social level) is going to be seen as a good thing, a welcome thing. When the economy starts failing, one of the very first prices paid is by immigrants, who will find themselves on the wrong end of a variety of political and social ill-feeling... all of which are related to the taking-our-jobs issue.
It's that difference between what X are like by themselves and what X will do to others ("us", as it were) - "you eat smelly food" vs "you're a thief", "you're effete" vs "you're a sexual predator" - that makes some prejudices easier to dispel than others on the basis of knowing somebody from group X.
Ayup, and I think part of that, too, is that those who are more likely to want to ostracize or sideline others are more likely to suspect that others have the same inclination. Shorter version because today I am tired, but it's sort of like the notion that liars are the first to suspect that others are lying. Longer version because I'm not that tired: if a person is kind and considerate to other "real" nationals, but wants to (or actually does) ostracize the "not-real not-true" nationals (ie immigrants), then the person -- at least IME -- is more likely to assume that immigrants are one thing amongst themselves and another thing when among the larger non-immigrant group. Which makes for a whole 'nother passel of tarbaby.