If you saw a person that looked significantly different from you and your tribe in the ancient world, they were likely to be one of: - A foreign soldier that p

If you saw a person that looked significantly different from you and your tribe in the ancient world, they were likely to be one of: - A foreign soldier that plans to kill or conquer you and everyone you know - A traveling merchant that you might be able to get along with, but need to be wary of in case he tries to swindle you - A wanderer that does not pose an existential threat but still cannot be trusted not to steal from you or kidnap your women and children - Or you could be any of the above to someone else who is going to fight back kicking and screaming Innate xenophobia is makes perfect sense within this context. Frankly it would be weird if we didn't feel it. The really troubling thing about it to me is that people don't want to accept it as a fact of life and figure out healthy ways to deal with it because it conflicts with their political ideologies.