X is for Xenophilia

Xenophilia is the opposite of xenophobia. We often use the phrasing that we tolerate diversity or we encourage tolerance. Xenophilia goes a step beyond. It’s the love for, the attraction to, or the appreciation of things foreign or different. Xenophilia should be our default setting.

Sadly, our opponents seem stuck in xenophobia—a fear and even hatred of anything ‘other.’

Xenophilia drives bold pushes for immigration reform, global alliances, and a reimagining of what it means to be American. Politicians who lean into xenophilia paint a future of innovation and strength through diversity, while critics weaponize fear and nostalgia to resist change. Every immigration debate, every trade deal, every refugee crisis reveals the tug-of-war between a future built on openness and a past clinging to isolation. In a world that won’t stop moving, xenophilia isn’t just politics — it’s survival.

As a person who lives in a bright white area, I am so bored with white people. And embarrassed by that segment of white people who are such assholes. Sure, prejudice, bigotry, and assholiness exist in every culture, but white people have really leaned into it lately. Don’t get me wrong, I’m white and I embrace my whiteness, but I also crave the stories, the food, the traditions and did I mention the food of other cultures.

As a teacher, I loved teaching from a text that presented literature from all the world’s cultures. I loved watching my kids look at new ideas and consider different points of view. The challenge with the present situation, for teachers and parents especially, is to raise kids who understand that the ‘other’ isn’t necessarily bad and that the familiar isn’t necessarily right.