Respect For Other Cultures

Multicultural societies are the norm these days and this can sometimes ask for a great deal of broadmindedness in societies that have been traditionally more or less unicultural. It is only natural that various prejudices, misunderstandings, and xenophobic attitudes come to the fore in such societies contributing to racism. These feelings may even be termed instinctual reactions to what is commonly seen as the intrusion of the other. But civilized societies have to take a stand against racism and guard against it. Racism is basically a lack of understanding of a race other than one's own, and the reaction to this ignorance in the form of fear and anger. If we can replace this ignorance with understanding, then there's no room for those negative reactions.