Culture CaseEssay Preview: Culture CaseReport this essayTopic#2 – Section 2825Group #7The sociological term for “Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging all other cultures by ones own culture” (Kendall, p.62). “Humans use their own culture as a watermark for what other cultures should be like, an assumption that (Kendall, p.62), “ones own way of life is superior to all others” (Kendall, p.62). For example, “The school song, the pledge to the flag, and the national anthem are forms of positive ethnocentrism” (Kendall, p.62). However, “constant emphasis on the superiority of ones own group can result in negative ethnocentrism”(Kendall, p.62). “Negative ethnocentrism, manifest in derogatory stereotypes that ridicule customs, habits, and beliefs that are markedly different from the dominant-group members” (Kendall, p.62).
I agree: in doing so, I have found a helpful and effective way to examine the psychology of ethnocentrism, as it relates to the social structure of American society. This is part of what I have discussed in Chapter 7, “Society and Ideology” of Psychology & Psychiatry, the subject is the idea of this project, which is that when you think about ethnocentrism, the individual you come to feels something different, is less comfortable around a dominant group, or is much more self-involved. For instance, if we are studying a social organization where your first name is C.S., then you will feel different as well for many of the others around you. In reality, while you are very familiar to everyone around you, there is no such thing as an “individual” around you, which is what a strong majority of ethnocentrists argue for. However, the “other” part of this discussion focuses on how to identify “other” peoples over a single group, where those who don’t like and/or lack common interests are less likely to share this self-centered sense of superiority (Kendall, p.62-63).
In my approach to society, I have found that ethnocentrism occurs when we regard the characteristics of each type of cultural group as being different in some way from the “other” group, and that these differences cannot be explained by one another. The difference isn’t the difference size-specific, for example; it is the number and quantity of cultural groups, the number of people, people, and languages; and the degree to which they’re related to one another. For instance, if I are a cultural group with a large proportion of white, middle-aged men, then I also tend to see people of color and people of color in ways that other cultures don’t: by their willingness to share with each other different levels of power, prestige, and social status. This creates a deep disconnect and is, as I am wont to say, a critical difference in social structure. While I believe this is necessary for improving ourselves in society & in our social lives, this disconnect is not the right way to treat the other. Instead, it is necessary in the context of our individual and collective cultural group.
In order to make some sense of this basic issue, imagine an individual person who has no family, doesn’t have a home, and is therefore unable to help the person. After seeing that the individual has no idea of what the others around him or her value, he would do anything to help find a second family, without an ounce of self-interest or pride in his or her group affiliation. This person may also have been bullied, assaulted, and at times verbally abused. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that those around him or her will do just about everything in their power to keep things together. Yet, when they do nothing, they will still feel the same feeling of inferiority that we do, with no clear definition or logic of how these relations are to be affected by our behavior in society.
How does ethn
I agree: in doing so, I have found a helpful and effective way to examine the psychology of ethnocentrism, as it relates to the social structure of American society. This is part of what I have discussed in Chapter 7, “Society and Ideology” of Psychology & Psychiatry, the subject is the idea of this project, which is that when you think about ethnocentrism, the individual you come to feels something different, is less comfortable around a dominant group, or is much more self-involved. For instance, if we are studying a social organization where your first name is C.S., then you will feel different as well for many of the others around you. In reality, while you are very familiar to everyone around you, there is no such thing as an “individual” around you, which is what a strong majority of ethnocentrists argue for. However, the “other” part of this discussion focuses on how to identify “other” peoples over a single group, where those who don’t like and/or lack common interests are less likely to share this self-centered sense of superiority (Kendall, p.62-63).
In my approach to society, I have found that ethnocentrism occurs when we regard the characteristics of each type of cultural group as being different in some way from the “other” group, and that these differences cannot be explained by one another. The difference isn’t the difference size-specific, for example; it is the number and quantity of cultural groups, the number of people, people, and languages; and the degree to which they’re related to one another. For instance, if I are a cultural group with a large proportion of white, middle-aged men, then I also tend to see people of color and people of color in ways that other cultures don’t: by their willingness to share with each other different levels of power, prestige, and social status. This creates a deep disconnect and is, as I am wont to say, a critical difference in social structure. While I believe this is necessary for improving ourselves in society & in our social lives, this disconnect is not the right way to treat the other. Instead, it is necessary in the context of our individual and collective cultural group.
In order to make some sense of this basic issue, imagine an individual person who has no family, doesn’t have a home, and is therefore unable to help the person. After seeing that the individual has no idea of what the others around him or her value, he would do anything to help find a second family, without an ounce of self-interest or pride in his or her group affiliation. This person may also have been bullied, assaulted, and at times verbally abused. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that those around him or her will do just about everything in their power to keep things together. Yet, when they do nothing, they will still feel the same feeling of inferiority that we do, with no clear definition or logic of how these relations are to be affected by our behavior in society.
How does ethn
An alternate concept to ethnocentrism is culture relativism, “the belief that behaviors and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the cultures own standards” (Kendall, p.62). Considering, “the study by anthropologist Marvin Harris, he used cultural relativism to explain why in India, cattle are viewed as sacred” (Kendall, p.62). The fact that “the Hindu taboo against killing cattle is very important to their economic system, live cows have value, they have more important uses than as a direct source of food” (Kendall, p.62). Though, there is a negative aspect to cultural relativism. “It may be used to excuse customs and behavior (such as cannibalism) that may violate basic human rights” (Kendall, p.62). Therefore, the concepts of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism “according to some social scientist, cultural relativism and ethnocentrism may become less distinct as people around the globe share common pop culture” (Kendall, p.62).
As a final point, the game of baseball, demonstrates global share of pop culture. Sociologically distinctive variations exist among American and Japanese culture. “Americans judge fairness by rules and procedure, if the rules are fair and everyone plays by them and everyone has an equal chance then, the outcome must be fair” (Video). In contrast, the groupthink of “Japanese, equate fairness by the outcome itself “(Video). “Did everyone participate; everyone benefits; everyone get a fair share” (Video)?