Cultural Fear Among People

Cultural Fear

The 1992 L.A. riots that devastated not only parts of the city, but many Americans who thought racial tensions had declined, were a manifestation of cultural fear. Cultural fear is inherent in every culture, and can be defined as a fear which that culture holds towards another. In the case of the riots, it was a black fear that a white dominated judicial system had again discriminated against them, and this fear led to the general uprising in protest. While this protest manifested itself rather violently, other forms of protest exist in all cultures in a more subdued manner. These quieter protests can be seen where tension exists between the cultures. Cultural fear manifests itself where one culture is given reason to fear another, and is often expressed verbally as a way of protesting the cause of the fear.

The protests do not serve just the function of a protest though. They also serve to act as a unifying form of expression around which the people in the culture...