The words "the Other" keep cropping up in my postmodern readings. As in we all have a tendency (stronger for some than others) to feel more secure being around people like us. Makes sense "in this day and age" to play it safe, even though statistically, we are more at risk being beaten, raped, or murdered by some one we know than a complete stranger. We are taught from an early age:"Don't talk to strangers". "Don't let anybody do anything strange to you."
There are several kinds of strangers: ranging from a person we pass in the grocery store aisle to the fear of someone following us. Some strangers we give a quick second glance and check out our danger thermometer. Others we don't bother with and just pass on by.
For all of us there are certain kinds of strangers who are so different from us that we freeze up or experience a twinge of anxiety. Motorcycle guys. Men with lots of tattoos. Some homeless looking person. And then when we see several of "these" strangers in a group our degree of alertness goes up accordingly.
Some strangers just get to us. They might even be dressed in a business suit and yet we don't feel comfortable around them. They don't seem trustworthy.
Thank goodness most of the people we see during the day share something in common with us: we are all strangers to someone. And most of the time our experience has taught us that nothing is going to happen. We all socially agree to be strangers who go about our business without bothering anyone (especially depending on circumstances, location, time of day, etc).
What happens when we perceive someone to be different because they are different? What makes them different from us is our attitude about people of color, with different languages. or different faiths. The more we perceive them to be different the more we don't like them. There is a line from a song in West Side Story, "Stay with your own kind".
What can we do with those strangers we think are really different from us? Pass laws. Accept negative beliefs about them. See their being different as dangerous or bad. We can do this with strange religions, different races and foreign countries. The world is filled with strangeness.
Eevery generation has a group of strangers who are so different as to be treated different. It used to be blacks, Catholics and Jews. Then it was blacks and Jews. Now it is Hispanics (And always the Jews and blacks and now the Muslims). Who will be the next stranger a generation from now? Maybe someday it will be white people who are the minority and become the stranger. In the meantime, keep those "guns" locked and loaded. It may be the ballot, the bullet or bullying that we will need to keep the stranger at the door.
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