Xenophobia is a Symptom of a Falling Country


It is the current presidential election in Taiwan that made me start this entry. But the same sentiment of xenophobia is, in general, increasingly strong following this trend of globalization, in the UK, in EU, and in all over the world. Concerning about this issue, the situation in Taiwan is slightly different from the rest of the world (or perhaps not absolutely) in that Taiwan has a specific target to resist.

One of the arguments between the two presidential candidates in Taiwan is whether to establish a closer economic tie with mainland China. Protesting voices claimed that such a move will eventually allow China to engulf Taiwan in both aspects of economy and politics.

It is such a narrow-minded view, I have to say.

Of course, I don't disagree that any policies like this need careful considerations so that they do not compromise any benefits that they promise.

Thoughtful consideration, however, is not equivalent to mere resistance. Resistance is surrender, here I quote Zizek. Any attempt to voice a nation's own identity and to participate in global affairs is doomed to fail if from the outset it is already contaminated with a prior prejudice against certain political bodies, and if such discrimination is derived from a defective conscience against advancement.
There are unfortunate witnesses of such both in the world history and today.

Xenophobia is only a symptom, and it can be tackled before history repeats itself in resorting to national closure.

Photo: in the Central Park, New York