Does anyone get the sense that the world is getting less friendly?

The news that there is an outcry in Germany against neo-Nazis isn’t new or surprising. But what is new is the trigger for the protests --a plan by far-right extremists (comprised of politicians, businessmen, and professionals) to deport migrants from Germany. Yep, kick them out. Truck them out by the bus loads. Bring them somewhere else. De-migrate them.

I need a German to school me in the intricacies of Nazism. All the while, I had thought that the Nazis were outlawed already in Germany. But that there are neo-Nazis that exist, and have somehow penetrated political parties, who have then successfully campaigned and captured government posts --which have somehow happened over the past few years in Germany-- is bizarre.

Not only that. Apparently, they are holding meetings where they discuss “remigration” openly in the name of keeping Germany pure --which sounds to me like the very thesis of Nazism. Millions of migrants --including those with German citizenship-- appear to be the target.

But what do I know. The Guardian reports that AfD, the political party that stands for anti-immigration, now polls at 20% of the populace. So there is a lot of domestic support for the view that accepting immigrants is no longer viable (which is just a hop and a skip away from the view that pushing immigrants out is also acceptable).

But Germany is not alone. The United Kingdom, care of son of immigrants Rishi Sunak, has been pushing a bill that will force thousands of asylum seekers out of the country and into Rwanda. Apparently, the plan is, to gather asylum applicants onto planes, fly them out of the British isles, and land them safely into the welcoming arms of Rwanda, where their asylum applications will then be processed. And if their applications are denied? Well, as they usually say in tourism ads, “welcome to Rwanda!”

Which seems like a horror story to me. Why would anyone want to wake up in Rwanda? Okay, fine. Google says that it is one of the safest countries in Africa. That coffee and gorillas can be found there. That westerners need not fear. But at the same time, a slew of human rights organizations and British press have made the point that LGBT+ people are stigmatized and discriminated against in Rwanda.

But I have digressed. The point is that there now a couple of “progressive” countries that are considering kicking people out of their territories. Oh, and of course, the United States is at the forefront of the idea of building a wall against Mexico, and all the South American migrants making it into the border.

Xenophobia is nothing new. We grapple with it in its everyday form. Whether through snide jokes or pointed exclusion at clubs and establishments, the foreigner is, well, foreign. But to officialize that xenophobia and package it as government policy sounds like a world less welcoming of strangers.

We used to tamp down hate more easily. But perhaps, social media has made the spread of vile ideas so much easier. Reprehensible suggestions are much more accessible to other haters and those susceptible to their baser emotions. Or those who can be easily manipulated.

The world watches while Trump, who was already defeated by what we thought were the forces of good, steamrolls his way to the nomination as the Republican standard-bearer. For sure, we will hear more hateful sound bites against immigrants. And attitudes towards the “other” will not grow any fonder.

Which begs the question: Where do we migrate to, if we could? Where’s a nice, peaceful landing spot where Pinoys and other immigrants will be welcomed and loved? What’s the new land of milk and honey? They say Thailand is the city of angels. But the language barrier! Korea? Heaven for K-drama fanatics. Canada, then?

Or, we could just stay put, and enforce our borders.

"To officialize that xenophobia and package it as government policy sounds like a world less welcoming of strangers."