@ Lola Oyelayo “In my experience, Xenophiles are more likely to be Xenocentric (hate or dislike their culture of origin) because it’s cooler to be part of the same culture as their peers.”

Do you feel this is also applicable to the xenophile whose parents are from the West but who lives in the East? Is this just a revelation of hegemonic undertones in our global society? I am myself a xenophile from Tanzania who grew up in Italy and the U.S. I never felt these sentiments that you refer to, although my brother did. I would like to go out on a limb and say that ‘dislike of one’s culture’ is based on personality, for although we were raised by the same family, I was always proclaiming my ethnicity loudly while my brother used to hide it and as good as disowned it.

@Hash I loved your story. I agree with your statement about xenophiles being powerful in the future. Although the ‘flattening’ of the world can be debated, I certainly feel that technology has made the world more accessible. I feel that it is specifically for this reason that xenophiles, who are accustomed to freely moving in and out of different cultures without an acculturation period, will be highly desirable as colleagues and therefore quite powerful.

The ‘net has long been criticized for its “echo chamber” effect and how it can “harden” our views as much as “crack them open.” Does anyone really look for the ‘net to convert (other than clicks to sales) in the way we see the world?

IOW those with a disposition to a broad world view (born or ‘developed’ as Vethno observes) are likely to find it widened on the ‘net, and those with interests closer to home are likely to find those reinforced on the ‘net.

But I like the hypothesis very much: that “bridgers” are going to be more important. My question is, in what ways? Is there a “bridger manifesto,” some statement of values that are derived from this experience that can serve as instructive for others?

I know that as someone who had the very great privilege of growing up in Asia and Africa as well as the U.S. – and I do consider it to have been a privilege in the fullest sense, with the positives and negatives aspect implied – that I have been *driven* to create these opportunities for young people – these windows or portals into the variety of ways that life has been interpreted… and I’m still left with the question, “So what?”