Intro
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Film and media industry portrays aliens as out of normal creatures, that are -in most scenarios- threatening human existence. This industry fantasizes aliens as fictional characters and as a dystopian model of entertainment. Aliens are often perceived as non-human, un-known, or real yet vague. Though, in many corners on land many humans are classified as aliens, by the use of language and due to their lived reality. Starting from peolple who are living a refugee experience, they are called ‘aliens1’. This expression is used in policy texts, and this alienation is materialised due to the fact that the ‘alienated’ carry an ‘alien’ document, not a ‘normal human’ passport. Alien document carriers are cut off from certain rights on land, seas and even in the wide angles of the outer space. Other humans with other type of experiences and life conditions are alienated too, but this research focuses in specific on figures who are alienated and experience an emotional , physical, psychological and mental distress caused by past traumas or heavy life experiences in later life. I was skeptical to target my attention in this research towards alien classified individuals, because fighting the alienation stigma is a draining process. As experienced personally, the term ‘refugee’ as an ‘alien’ is often portrayed as an ‘identity’, rather than just an ‘experience’ that in principle could happen to anyone. In addition, ‘aliens as victims’ is mostly approached as a given. It is undeniable that for a certain time or maybe a condition, alienated people are victims of their realities, but later the imposed victimization even lasts longer. If someone -an alien- does not perceive or live their life as a victim, with a victim version of ‘self’ and state of ‘mind’, still in certain conditions they are still labeled as victims. After five years of living with the ‘alien’ wor(l)d, I thought that the stigma, limitations and the burden of this reality would dissolve into the developments 1 Refugee: under the terms of the Convention: an alien who is a refugee within the
meaning of the Convention on Refugees and to whom its provisions are applicable. Alien: any person who does not have Netherlands nationality and who is not treated as a Netherlands national by virtue of any provision of law. Page: 3. Source: Alien Act 2000 - Human rights library.
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