Allodoxaphobia. It’s not your normal crossword fill-in or bizarre SAT vocabulary, but it’s an important word for describing the US.
It’s the fear of other people’s opinions.
More specifically, allodoxaphobia is the fear of other people’s opinions on us. It's the prickling sensation on your neck when the concierge at that high-class hotel eyes your simple traveling garb. It's the blood pounding behind your ears when everyone seems to be looking and commenting on the "weird birthmark" on your neck. It's the gut-wrenching feeling in your stomach when you realize that your interviewer isn't judging you based on your potential but on your clothes and your ethnicity.
The majority of us hate feeling inadequate. We loathe being judged based on personal bias or opinion. We despise seeing others being discriminated against because the majority opinion works against them.
So if we hate and fear other people's opinions of us, why do we allow ourselves to go along with them?
Recently, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump remarked that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton would "'essentially abolish the Second Amendment" and that there would be nothing anyone could do, "although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know." His comments sparked controversy, with people wondering if his markedly ambiguous comments were his way of threatening Clinton with violence or if he was merely calling for more support of the Second Amendment. Needless to say, Trump is a prime example of someone who doesn't fear opinion. He isn't bothered by people who disagree with his hateful rhetoric, he doesn't care how many people (Republicans included) believe that his potential presidency would be a national threat, and he isn't concerned with the ramifications that could come with his presidency or his policies.
This is exactly the kind of person who we should admire-- and fear. When someone someone like Trump is completely unfazed by what others think of him, people are more likely to see him as strong and powerful. After all, he has all the things we don't have. He isn't afraid of expressing his opinions or criticizing other people, and his relatively crude way of talking appeals to those who despise the sophisticated way some people talk. In this way, Trump has built a dangerous group of supporters that will fight anything that seems to be against them, no matter the cost.
When we go back and consider some of the other incidents that have occurred in the US, we can see that there's a dangerous trend bordering on mob mentality. Some of us are scared of meeting people with differing opinions because we'd automatically assume that they will have a negative impression of us because we don't agree. This fear leads us to group with others with similar opinions so that we feel safe from our rivals. Our group gets riled up. We fight. Whether we win or lose, it simply doesn't matter. In the end, we leave the conflict with newfound hatred for the opposing side and an even stronger belief that our own opinions are the "only" right opinion.
This fear doesn't stop here. In an effort to veil our flaws, we find more and more "disagreeable" things in others who are different from us so that we become negatively biased towards them. We develop stereotypes that blanket other groups in an effort to save our own selves from criticism. From #blacklivesmatter to #bluelivesmatter, we gather with our similar-minded brethren in conflict against other people. The only difference between us and them? We don't have the same opinion.
If we consider the US to be the place for anyone and everyone to seek "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," then why do we try to limit someone else's liberty because we, personally, don't think it's right? Why can't we listen to the other side, for once, so that both sides can come to a mutual understanding or compromise?
And why are we so afraid to know other people's opinions of us?
In order for us to succeed, we must come to terms with who we are, understand our flaws, acknowledge them and listen to people whose ideas differ from ours. We must have healthy debates. We must learn to empathize, to understand other people’s opinions, to step in their shoes and walk a day in their life.
In the end, the monsters aren't corrupt corporations or xenophobic politicians. The true monsters are those who can't learn from others and march to their own beat, refusing to understand others or to find their flaws.
After all, who are we to criticize others for having "the wrong opinion" if we ourselves aren't perfect in the first place?
