How Ethnocentrism Can Be Overcome

Ethnocentrism and Understanding Cultures

Ethnocentrism can create difficulties when we seek a better understanding of another culture because it causes us to view the other culture from the perspective of our culture's values. For instance, in the West, we value independence and comfort and status -- but in the East, for example, in China, the culture is geared more towards valuing honor, duty, learning, and commitment to one's community/family. Status (such as the sporting of luxury brands) is not as important to common people there because they do not have the same consumer culture that we in the West have. They have thousands of years of history behind them that comes from a different philosophical system and their nation, even though parts have been industrialized, still remains largely rural. The West, on the other hand, has led the world in terms of Industrialization and is committed to a consumerist culture, viewing wealth as a means to happiness, prosperity and independence, which is a value that stems from the various revolutions that have been effected in modern history -- from the Enlightenment to the War of Independence in America, etc. By viewing a separate culture in the light of what our own culture values, we can miss what it is that makes that culture work the way it does. We can be judgmental or show a lack of understanding simply because we are not looking at the culture as it is but rather as it appears to someone from our own culture.

By rejecting ethnocentrism, we can see more clearly what it is that makes other cultures unique and special and we can appreciate more deeply the values that they effect and teach to those who live within that culture. By understanding the culture on its own terms and merits, we can actually achieve a better bridge between cultures, that is founded on understanding, respect and the identification of common ideals, if there are any. If, on the other hand, we approach other cultures with the assumption that they love and appreciate the same things that we do, we set ourselves up for failure in terms of understanding. One can take Mattel, for instance, which opened a House of Barbie in China to great fanfare, thinking the Chinese would love to pay top dollar for Barbie dolls, when they could more easily purchase cheap knock-offs that were more "Chinese" to boot. Mattel learned the hard way that it pays to understand the culture that one plans to do business in before investing millions in an idea that only appeals to one's own culture and not to the culture of the region/nation where the idea is being implemented (Voigt, 2012).

Ethnocentrism can also inhibit creative insights into our culture by being too accepting of the status quo. By never questioning our own culture, why it came into being, what causes us to hold the beliefs that we do, why our religions are the way they are, why are government functions the way it does, why our economy is of a specific character, etc., we trap ourselves within a continuation or perpetuation of the same old story. Asking questions about our culture (instead of blindly accepting it) can lead to both a better appreciation of our culture as well as a deeper insight into why and how our society operates. Certain problems can be better addressed as a result of these deeper insights that are developed and over time, our culture can grow and develop in spectacular ways. For instance, had it not been for an examination of our own cultural values, our nation might never have progressed through certain periods. We faced a Civil War, two World Wars, a Civil Rights movement, and today a War on Terror. Each period reflected some challenge to our society. Ethnocentric views have tended to inhibit creative insights into problems by asserting a judgmental or uncritical perspective. For example, with the War on Terror, some promote Islamaphobia, as a result of their ethnocentric views; and by doing so they miss really understanding the complex nature of the terrorist networks, and how the deep state, the military-industrial complex, and various geopolitical alliances all work together to conflate the issue of terror; talk of banning Muslims is a narrow way to approach the issue of terror and it has ethnocentric roots. But by exposing the complex relationships that help lead to and facilitate terror networks, a better and more adequate solution can be cultivated that can help address this issue.

We might, therefore, strive to overcome issues of ethnocentrism by embracing a better attitude and regard for other cultures -- by not judging them or seeking to look down on them or to marginalize them. Instead, we can look at other cultures and try to find the good in them. We do not have to ignore the "bad," but we should not judge something as "bad" just because it is different from our own. Instead, "bad" should be based on a more universal concept of what is good, bad, right, wrong. All cultures express good concepts and bad concepts, even our own, when analyzed from an objective, universal standpoint. By seeking to understand cultures, however, we can move towards building a better and brighter tomorrow, where there is no fear based on ignorance, and no hate based on lies. We can not only seek to tolerate one another but also seek to actually like one another and see how we can work together to build strong ties and relationships, even while maintaining our own unique cultures. When the good that is in every culture is practiced and elevated and the bad is rejected, there is no reason why any cultures should fight and not be able to get along.

Therefore, education should be a primary aim of our society. We should strive to understand cultures like the Muslim culture, which has various and diverse aspects to it (not all Muslims are terrorists, obviously, despite what some say). Understanding why some work towards violence and hate and why others work towards peace and appreciation is a practical first step to bridging the gap that exists in this regard.