Do you think we're becoming increasingly xenophobic and ethnocentric?

Question

E.g. upset over bilingualism, language rights, multiculturalism, immigration, non-Christian religion, etc.

Answer 1

Would you care to cite an example of where any one of those is "worse" than it was before ? (and by "before" I assume you mean for the span of a generation or so, not merely this week versus last week because something happened to change)

Answer 2

detailed survey results and statistics will answer your question much better, so I can't make too fine a point.  However, generally speaking and in my opinion, there was a back-lash of anti-Asian sentiment in Australia in the 1990s that still seems to be running its course, though it appears to have eased up quite a bit in the past couple of years.  On the positive, I think people are more open about saying what they really think and are at least willing to voice their opinions rather than staying silent - so we're more often hearing arguments to do with multiculturalism, immigration and relgion that are part and parcel of healthy public debate. This could give the impression people are less intolerant than perhaps they really are.

Most analysts see increased levels of ethnic tension as being a reaction to globalisation, brought about by rising levels of anxiety due to massive social and economic changes still taking place.  It has caused individuals and smaller groups around the world to want to retreat back to what seemed a more simple and easily understood lifestyle.  And then there's the reaction to September 11, of course, when an element of deep-seated xenophobia that is always present within any given society, suddenly gave vent.  

But don't forget that a lot changed after World War II when major powers around the world decided on a declaration of human rights to prevent another holocaust from happening.  Since then, immigration laws became more open, education has helped dispel a lot of ignorance, other cultures have became more accessible and better understood, and mixed marriages aren't such a big deal anymore.  These are all indications of great tolerance, rather than less.  We're seeing a lot of mixed emotions and reactions around the world and in our own neighbourhoods that are pushing these issues to the surface again to be revisited, I'd say.

Answer 3

Nope.  I think it is getting better in spite of certain groups that push bilingualism, or multiculturalism, or hyphenated americans etc.  There are obstacles but generally, I still think it is getting better.  We are certainly a more tolerant socienty than we were 50 years ago.