Ethnocentrism?

Question

what are some positives and negatives of ethnocentrism?

Answer 1

Ethnocentrism leads us to make false assumptions about cultural differences. We are ethnocentric when we use our cultural norms to make generalizations about other peoples' cultures and customs. Such generalizations -- often made without a conscious awareness that we've used our culture as a universal yardstick -- can be way off base and cause us to misjudge other peoples. Ethnocentrism also distorts communication between human beings.

Ethnocentric thinking causes us to make wrong assumptions about other people because . . .

Ethnocentrism leads us to make premature judgments.

"They" may not be very good at what we are best at.

By evaluating "them" by what we are best at, we miss the many other aspects of life that they often handle more competently than we do.

Some very simple examples of ethnocentric thinking. . .

We often talk about British drivers driving "on the wrong side" of the road. Why not just say "opposite side" or even "left hand side"?

We talk about written Hebrew as reading "backward." Why not just say "from right to left" or "in the opposite direction from English."

Xenocentrism

The opposite of ethnocentrism is xenocentrism which means preferring ideas and things from other cultures over ideas and things from your own culture. At the heart of xenocentrism is an assumption that other cultures are superior to your own.

Answer 2

Negatives are too numerous to mention.

Pros, I guess it creates a group bond.

Answer 3

Ethnocentrism, a.k.a. racial nationalism, promotes group identity and group cohesion.  It provides a "family feeling" to its members whenever they meet each other, which forms the basis of a presumptive trust and good regard.  You can go up to someone you've never met before and shoot the breeze without worrying about giving offense.

Ethnocentrism only causes problems when racial mixing occurs.  Racial mixing should not occur because it requires the sacrifice of the benefits of that "family feeling," and it destroys the presumption of trust and good regard of man for man.

Answer 4

Either you like it or you don't.  Don't you just wish it were that easy?  Actually, it is !!!

Answer 5

That's an utopic term