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Social effects of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
The adverse effects of ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism concepts
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Believing another culture or society is inferior to your own, is what ethnocentrism is. I think you definitely acquire this attitude from your upbringing, family money or power, and from the environment you are raised in. Ethnocentrism will never go away because we have some many different cultures and societies, all over the world (MindEdge, 2015). In the story, David dealt with ethnocentrism from foreigners that do not understand how he is Japanese. The incredulous official he relinquished his American passport to, also showed some ethnocentrism. David’s own parents do not agree with his decision and they no longer speak at all. He got a death threat and harassing phone calls from a few that do not agree with him. David’s students’ first
After living in Japan for seventeen years, David Aldwinkle decided to become a Japanese citizen (Weiner & Aldwinkle, 2003). He has immersed himself in the culture, changing his name to Arudou Debito. He has written a book in Japanese about racial discrimination in Japan entitled Japanese Only, teaches at a local university and he even has relinquished his American citizenship. Throughout that time, he has experienced examples of both ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.
The natives are forced to deal with the repercussions of the actions of the religious figures in the residential school, when they impose their beliefs on the natives. First of
Ethnocentrism is defined as judging a different culture exclusively by the principles and values of one’s own customs. This is one o the major problems that the Lee family faced while being treated….. Before reading this novel, I had no idea what Hmong culture was or that it even existed, as I’m sure that was the same case with many of the health care team. The tragedy in the novel stems from the lack of awareness to the Hmong culture and the opposing beliefs of treatment between the medical staff and the Le...
... of interconnectedness between Foua and Dr. Peggy by bonding through motherhood. When her son was diagnosed with leukemia, Dr. Peggy and Foua embraced, and all of the previous ethnocentric actions exhibited by the Americans before this point vanished as they grieved together. This event in the story paints the picture of cultural holism, which concludes that natural systems should be viewed as a whole, and not parts. By Dr. Peggy and Foua’s unity, the women exhibit the idea that the cultures can, in fact, overcome the previous differences and exist as one diverse population. In conclusion, the ethnocentrism that was prominent in the American society during the resettlement of the Hmong is detrimental to any culture. The framework for any aspect of life or culture is knowledge, so it is humanity’s responsibility to tolerate others instead of believing in superiority.
Waco, Texas. It is one of those places on the map that unless you live in Texas, you might not know it exists. It’s just another place in the United States. Unfortunately it’s a place where almost 80 people, including 17 children, died in a mass fire. All these people had one thing in common. They all belonged to a cult. Merriam-Webster defines a cult as “a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous” Cults are usually looked down upon by society because of their bizarre traditions, beliefs, customs. Most cults such as The People’s Temple, Heaven’s Gate and The Branch Davidians end up dying by suicide or homicide. Knowing this, you might think more people would stay clear from cults. People join cults for various reasons. Some people might have grown up being social outcasts or sociopaths. Others may not fully agree with any other religion and have their own interpretations of religion. Whatever the reason everyone who joins a cult wants one thing in common, acceptance. The people in Waco, Texas believed to have found acceptance in a cult named the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh.
The tone right away reduces the Japanese student to a coconut-headed Jap, sly and cunning, and must have cheated his way through life, although the boy is obviously intelligent, being head of the class. Stratton-Porter bars no discriminatory remarks by portraying the American girl, "Sweet Linda" spouting against the Japanese boy who heads the class: "Before I would let a Jap, either a boy or girl, lead in my class, I would give up going to school and go out and see if I could beat him growing lettuce and spinach." (Doc 6) It goes on to protest the foreigners' success, fearing that it would bring in "greater numbers, better equipped for battle of life than we are." (Doc 6) Another public source that also feared a sort of a revolution was the anonymous "Because You're a Jew," generalizing the Jew as a cheat and a swindler, always winning contests, sly speaking and greedy. "The Jew is winning everywhere. By fair means or by foul means he wins.
The importance of reflexivity is illustrated in Dissolution and Reconstitution of Self: Implications for Anthropological Epistemology, by anthropologist Dorinne Kondo. Her reflections lead her to realize that she has lost, or has almost lost, her identity as an American anthropologist and now sees herself as a young woman of Japanese culture. "What occurred in the field was a kind of fragmenting of identity into Japanese and American elements, so that the different strands, instead of interweaving to form a coherent whole, strained and tugged against one another" (78). As she became so immersed in the culture, Kondo began to understand and adopt cultural aspects that are unique to the Japanese, a thus adopted a new identity. At first, she practiced Japanese behavior to be socially accepted and gain the respect of her host family, but she was so successful that community members began to regard her as a fello...
The term “ethnocentrism,” meaning the sense of taken-for-granted superiority in the context of cultural practices and attitudes, described the way Europeans looked at their “culture” as though they were superior to all others. Westerns even stated that non-Westerns had no culture and that they were inferior to the culture that was building in Europe.
1). The cultural model that best describes David in The Color of Fear film is assimilation. Assimilation is defined as an individual rejecting his or her own native cultural values in order to adapt and adjust to the culture norm surrounding them (Robinson, 2015). Individuals who possess this quality often resemble the “melting pot” theory in America. This theory emphasizes the movement of minority and majority groups that form together to create one sociocultural unit. However, from Waters and Jimenez (2005, p. 105) sociological research on immigration, the melting of these different cultures created “racial and ethnic distinction to dissolve, making individuals integrated more into the American mainstream” leaving their own native values behind. Due to this, individuals revert and claim themselves to the common cultural norm that is presented, which can either have a negative or positive effect.
Sen Youngblood is an American Indian Boy in a sixth grade classroom. His teacher called for a parent teacher conference due to his academic performance in the classroom. Problems such as not doing his homework, not communicating with the teacher in a timely manner, not showing up to class on time, and cheating on tests were noticed in Sen’s education. Sen’s teacher wants to talk to his parents about it because she wants to see a difference in his education. This is a case study done to consider why an American Indian boy is not able to keep up in the classroom. By looking into nine different concepts of his deep culture and creating advice for his teacher, one can see how a person’s culture can affect their life as they venture into another
Ethnocentrism can be defined as an individual’s belief that the ethnic group or cultural they identify with is superior to all others. “The ethnocentric person judges other groups and other cultures by the standards of his or her own group” (Schaefer 34).
In essence, he was shunned” (Hongo 4) by the white people who could not believe that he would attack their superior American ways. According to writers such as Frank Chin and the rest of the “Aiiieeeee!” group, the Americans have dictated Asian culture and created a perception as “nice and quiet” (Chin 1972, 18), “mama’s boys and crybabies” without “a man in all [the] males.” (Chin 1972, 24). This has become the belief of the preceding generations of Asian Americans and therefore manifested these stereotypes. Those authors who contest these “American made” stereotypes are said to betray the American culture and white power around them, and to be “rocking the boat” in a seemingly decent living situation.
How we perceive ourselves is, in a way, dictated to what our culture believes. But how could we know differently? Ethnocentrism is the evaluation of other cultures according to the preconceptions originating from the standards of the culture we grew up with. You might visit another country and judge their culture either positively or negatively based off of what you already believe is "normal" or "right." That is a great reason to go and explore our world and learn about other cultures. The world we live in is more than just our little universe that we know and are comfortable with. It's all perspective. Alright, now that I have reminded you that your way of life is not the same for others on the other side of the globe, can we agree that difference is ok and one is not necessarily better than another? Although, I think it's perfectly ok to compare cultures and beliefs and recognize flaws within your own culture and in others. Keeping an open mind is beneficial in life because after all, we all grew up with social norms and standards based off of our surroundings which is different for everyone.
When one encounters a culture that has little in common with own, one may experience culture shock. This is a sense of confusion, anxiety, stress and loss one may experience. One of the barriers in effective intercultural communication is ethnocentrism. It stems from a conviction that one’s own cultural traditions and assumptions are superior to those of others. It leads to a tendency to look the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. It is one of the fastest ways to create a barrier that inhibits, rather than enhances communication (Jandt, 2012).
... its proper expressions, structure and grammar. Moreover, each language is linked to a specific dialect which is associated with educational, economic, social and historical conditions. Moreover, cultural variations also exist in the rules for general discourse in oral communication. Similar to verbal communication, there are also variations in non-verbal communication between cultures. Gestures, facial expressions, sense of time and personal distance take different forms in different cultures. Furthermore, there is an infinite number of cultural diversities which are at the root of intercultural miscommunication. Variations in values , social relationships, religion, economy and politics consist of only a few of these diversities. These differences can be the source of ethnocentrism, if one becomes over patriotic in regards to one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism, is the concept which states that we tend to judge other cultures through our own. Ethnocentric behavior, can cause racism and chauvinism, as in the case of the Second World War. However, intercultural problems can be avoided if we all develop mindfulness, a sense of flexibility and seek information about the other culture.