--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All cultures seem to find a slightly…" description: "\"“All cultures seem to find a slightly alien local population to carry the Hermes projection. For the Vietnamese it is the Chinese, and for the Chinese ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/lewis-hyde-19548_latin-america_all-cultures-seem-to-find-a-slightly-ali_343777.jpg" --- # All cultures seem to find a slightly alien local… ![“All cultures seem to find a slightly alien local population to carry the Hermes projection. For the Vietnamese it is the Chinese, and for the Chinese it is the Japanese. For the Hindu it is the Moslem; for the North Pacific tribes it was the Chinook; in Latin America and in the American South it…” quote by Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/lewis-hyde-19548_latin-america_all-cultures-seem-to-find-a-slightly-ali_343777.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/lewis-hyde-19548_latin-america_all-cultures-seem-to-find-a-slightly-ali_343777.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/lewis-hyde-19548_latin-america_all-cultures-seem-to-find-a-slightly-ali_343777.jpg) > ““All cultures seem to find a slightly alien local population to carry the Hermes projection. For the Vietnamese it is the Chinese, and for the Chinese it is the Japanese. For the Hindu it is the Moslem; for the North Pacific tribes it was the Chinook; in Latin America and in the American South it is the Yankee. In Uganda it is the East Indians and Pakistanis. In French Quebec it is the English. In Spain the Catalans are "the Jews of Spain". On Crete it is the Turks, and in Turkey it is the Armenians. Lawrence Durrell says that when he lived in Crete he was friends with the Greeks, but that when he wanted to buy some land they sent him to a Turk, saying that a Turk was what you needed for a trade, though of course he couldn't be trusted. This figure who is good with money but a little tricky is always treated as a foreigner even if his family has been around for centuries. Often he actually is a foreigner, of course. He is invited in when the nation needs trade and he is driven out - or murdered - when nationalism begins to flourish: the Chinese out of Vietnam in 1978, the Japanese out of China in 1949, the Jankees out of South America and Iran, the East Indians out of Uganda under Idi Amin, and the Armenians out of Turkey in 1915-16. The outsider is always used as a catalyst to arouse nationalism, and when times are hard he will always be its victim as well.”” [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote observes that societies repeatedly scapegoat a minority group, often a trader or money‑handler, using them as a convenient outsider to spark nationalism and then expelling them when tensions rise. **In simple terms:** Societies blame and expel a minority group during nationalist surges. Key Takeaway Beware of scapegoating minorities for political ends. Themes nationalism scapegoating minority groups economic roles social dynamics Mood critical reflective analytical Type historical sociopolitical warning When to use this quote - political campaigns - economic crises - immigration debates - community conflicts - historical analysis Key Concepts otherism economic exploitation political manipulation identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How does scapegoating affect a nation’s economic health? - What mechanisms protect minorities from being used as political tools? A Different Perspective Minorities may also hold essential economic functions, making their removal harmful to society. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Latin america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latin-america/) [Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [South america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south-america/) ## Related quotes > [I'm really excited that people are receiving my performance like this. It makes me feel good, because I've been working really hard. 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I loved writing him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-am-drawn-to-characters-so-full-of-internal-contradictions-idi-amin/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [If religion is a reaction of man, and nothing more, it seems to me that it represents a human desire for wrongdoers to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gilligan/if-religion-is-a-reaction-of-man-and-nothing-more-it-seems-to-me-that/) [Vince Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gilligan/) > [America has had to deal with eccentric dictators in the past: Idi Amin, Muammar Qaddafi, Ming the Merciless... but now the security of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/america-has-had-to-deal-with-eccentric-dictators-in-the-past-idi-amin/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [It's the camel's nose in the tent. Look at Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Idi Amin--every one of these monsters, on seizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/it-s-the-camel-s-nose-in-the-tent-look-at-stalin-mussolini-hitler-mao/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [ As an artist, it's a great opportunity to play a character like this \[Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland\]. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/as-an-artist-it-s-a-great-opportunity-to-play-a-character-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [Some of the things I have written about are a way of connecting with my father - I know he knew who Idi Amin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/some-of-the-things-i-have-written-about-are-a-way-of-connecting-with/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) ## More by Lewis Hyde > [We are only alive to the degree that we can let ourselves be moved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/we-are-only-alive-to-the-degree-that-we-can-let-ourselves-be-moved/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and sold in the market, that makes us distinguish it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/what-is-it-about-a-work-of-art-even-when-it-is-bought-and-sold-in-the/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Erik Erikson has commented: Potentially creative men like (Bernard) Shaw build the personal fundament of their work during a self-decreed moratorium, during which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/erik-erikson-has-commented-potentially-creative-men-like-bernard-shaw/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [The passage into mystery always refreshes. 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Rather, the work of art becomes a political force simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/art-does-not-organize-parties-nor-is-it-the-servant-or-colleague-of/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) [Explore all 32 Lewis Hyde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) ## More Latin america quotes > [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [I'm a first generation American. My mother is Italian and Russian and a lot of other things, and my father is Uruguayan. 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For the Vietnamese it is the Chinese, and for the Chinese it is the Japanese. For the Hindu it is the Moslem; for the North Pacific tribes it was the Chinook; in Latin America and in the American South it is the Yankee. In Uganda it is the East Indians and Pakistanis. In French Quebec it is the English. In Spain the Catalans are \"the Jews of Spain\". On Crete it is the Turks, and in Turkey it is the Armenians. Lawrence Durrell says that when he lived in Crete he was friends with the Greeks, but that when he wanted to buy some land they sent him to a Turk, saying that a Turk was what you needed for a trade, though of course he couldn't be trusted. This figure who is good with money but a little tricky is always treated as a foreigner even if his family has been around for centuries. Often he actually is a foreigner, of course. He is invited in when the nation needs trade and he is driven out - or murdered - when nationalism begins to flourish: the Chinese out of Vietnam in 1978, the Japanese out of China in 1949, the Jankees out of South America and Iran, the East Indians out of Uganda under Idi Amin, and the Armenians out of Turkey in 1915-16. 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