Xenophobic Millennials

Posted by AsiaViews | Nov 13, 2017 | 0 |

The Jakarta Post

Nov 6, 2017

Growing up with unlimited access to information through the internet, millennials the world over should care less about nationalism and patriotism than their predecessors of Generation X or the baby boomers. According to Pew Research, only about one in three millennials in the United States describe themselves as “a patriotic person,” as 35 percent say this is a “perfect” description. The figure for Gen Xers is 64 percent and for Boomers 75 percent. It is also a well-known fact that millennials tend to take a globalist approach to world affairs and that they like to consider themselves to be citizens of the world.

A survey conducted by Jakarta-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), meanwhile, paints a different picture of millennials in this country. The survey found that millennials in Indonesia, the section of the population between 17 and 29 years of age, show a strong xenophobic tendency. The survey found that 77.7 percent of millennials viewed negatively the impact of foreign workers on the economy, believing that foreigners take away jobs from the local population.

The finding is troubling not only because Indonesia has a lower intake of foreign workers than Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, but also because such a negative perception comes up while the country is enjoying healthy economic growth. What would the millennials do if the country’s economy suddenly took a turn for the worse?

Millennials holding a negative view toward foreign workers is also troubling because a quick search on the internet could show them that the myth of foreign workers stealing jobs from locals has long been debunked. (The economic benefits of immigration could be the most settled fact in economics, and this explains why Angela Merkel insisted on allowing hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Germany in the past few years).

But if some of these young people believe (based on information they get from the internet) that the earth is flat or that the moon landing was faked, they ultimately could subscribe to any idea, however dumb it may be. We have a problem when these ideas that millennials subscribe to can have far-reaching consequences.

A negative attitude toward foreign workers today could turn into full-blown racism in five years if these millennials are continually exposed to ideas and thoughts that promote suspicion toward people of different ethnic or religious backgrounds. Today, millennials as a demographic group play a significant role in determining the outcome of an election, and we should be more concerned now that we know their political preference.

The rise of nationalist sentiment in many parts of the world, from Brexit and the election of Trump to the victory of Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz (the first millennial to become a country leader), should teach us the lesson that sometimes voters, millennials included, can take us in a direction we thought impossible a few years back. With millennials now ready to take over the world, it is time for us to be worried about the future.

(http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2017/11/06/editorial-xenophobic-millennials.html)

About The Author

AsiaViews

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Neigborhood Watch

Subscribe To Newsletter

POINTS TO PONDER

EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Xenophobic Millennials