Here’s a song for you… Danny Nedelko by IDLES https://open.spotify.com/track/0gqsJm7b3KPSpqA2FsVn53?si=-upKLoYiRjK5wU8kXSvmEQ&utm_source=native-share-menu

This song from IDLES means a lot to me, it epitomizes how important multi culture is in society and how we can gain bonds from it.

Having foreign friends in an amazing thing, culture can enrich our experiences or languages can better our understanding of what culture is like in any given country.

I think it also hints at how racism and xenophobia can be deep rooted, the word xenophobia literally has the word ‘phobia’ it in, as in a fear of something, meaning a fear of change or something unfamiliar.

Racism and zenophobia can stem back to our surroundings, and seemingly stems from a sheer ignorance to want to open one’s mind to new ideas or cultures or a lack of empathy or it can stem by not interacting with people from different backbrounds, ethnicities or cultures.

Racism and zenophobia (and sexism or homophobia or transphobia or any other prejudice) annoys me to say the least, as does ignorance in general, but in a weird way it makes me want to stand up against it even more and appreciate how great it is how culture can teach us so much and how dull it is without culture or how limiting it is to not get out of our comfort zones or to not enjoy or to not engage in other cultures.

This is my view, as a white man, and I try to improve my understanding of these issues even further and these problems are clearly complicated, I believe in equality and think the way forward is open our minds and listen to those who can tell us of their experiences.

Also, from a bit of a selfish point of view, I find listening to IDLES or other bands like them helps me deal with my negative emotions about these sort of things better, and actually becomes a positive, and I like the feeling of unity it brings me.

Some racism and zenophobia can be unconscious or subtle, or stem from reductive stereotypes, I don’t think we can stop learning or be more emphatic or question things and see things in a balance way, I personally and generally speaking try to take people for what they are.

I think we need to try and have more discussions in morden day society, not everyone has the same views and are entitled to their opinion, but I think the more we express our views in positive way the better.

‘Stand for something, or fall for anything’ is a line that springs to mind.