Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Essay examples -- Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two contrasting terms that are displayed by different people all oer the world. Simply put, ethnocentrism is defined as judging other groups from the perspective of ones make cultural point of view. Cultural relativism, on the other hand, is defined as the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual. Each of these ideas has found its way into the minds of people worldwide. The difficult part is attempting to deduct why an individual portrays one or the other. It is a question that anthropologists grant been asking themselves for years. Ethnocentrism, as stated above, means the belief that ones own culture is above and beyond all other cultures. Although this is somewhat of a shallow definition, it still provides an adequate explanation of a very complex issue. We insure ethnocentrism every single day, in a ll aspects of life. The United States of America is a prime example of ethnocentrism is action. The people of this country have a tendency to omit other cultures, instead believing that American culture is the only way to go. This is not to say that this is how everyone thinks, although most people, at one time or another, have had thoughts along these lines. After the terrorist attack of 9/11, there was an immediate shift into almost hatred of any person of Arabic descent...