Consecotaleophobia

A major flaw with race relations is that almost everything is clumped into the category of "racism". I believe it is more of a "minority phobia" that drives the behavior of Americans today. Humans have the uncontrollable urge to fit in. It goes beyond race, religion, and language, into almost any category that can be used to define us. If you walk into a bar on St. Patrick's Day wearing a bright orange shirt, you will feel uncomfortable.

This minority phobia expands out all the way to the political arena. The immigration issue is just an extension of this fear. Most politicians get very gassy after a few burritos. They fear that if Mexicans become the majority, they will make fools out of themselves during the periodic Washington Fiesta.

An emerging fear is the rise of China as a world superpower. This has less to do with passing the leadership torch, and more to do with the inability to handle chopsticks. American hands were made for punching and firmly holding chicken wings. The rise of a country like Finland would cause far less concern. The average American would say, "Heck, I look like them. If worse comes to worse, I could always pick up yodeling and learn to ride a polar bear."

Some racial fears are well founded though. We let in huge populations of Italians and Irish during the turn of the century and look how drunk and fat off of pizza our country has become.