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Essay / Ethnocentrism versus cultural relativism in the American scenario
Ethnocentrism is a delicate subject. It's when one person believes they are better than another person, when in reality they are both human, meaning no one is better than the others. This belief is what creates a hostile environment in our country, as many people believe they are allowed to do things because they are "better" than the person next to them, when in reality, we are equal, or we should all be equal. If someone is walking down the street and sees someone homeless, the first thing someone usually thinks is that they are disgusting, they don't think to go up to them and ask if they want to go get dining. This is an example of ethnocentrism because the person walking thinks they are superior to the homeless person. When in reality, they both have equal rights in this world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Cultural relativism is just the opposite. It is the belief that all people should accept all cultures, whether or not they believe in what you believe. People should accept every culture because everyone is different. Not everyone is going to believe ghosts are real, but that shouldn't cause them to be treated any differently than someone who doesn't believe ghosts are real. Cultural relativism represents the good in the world. This allows everyone to be accepted and feel good about believing in what they believe in, which should happen. If cultural relativism did not exist, our world would be scary, because we would live in a world divided into groups, and these groups would never mix. How is this a way of living? This is not the case. In this case, ethnocentrism is indeed addressed here. The Americans thought Vanya Kalensen and Nils Wardlaw were wrong because they themselves would never do that, which insinuates that American parents thought they were better than Danish parents. An American would consider leaving their child outside as abuse, something they would never dare do. So when they see a baby outside, alone, it's alarming. American parents would think they should go to prison, because they themselves would never do it. But ultimately, these parents had their child taken away from them for doing something they do every day in their home country. This is completely normal, but because American parents thought they were superior to them and what they were doing was wrong, they ultimately lost their child. But this could also be interpreted as Danish parents thinking they are better than Americans because they are doing better by not bringing their babies to a dirty, germy restaurant. But no one sees it that way because they automatically think the Americans are right in this scenario, which represents ethnocentrism. Cultural relativism is also presented in this case. Vanya Kalensen and Nils Wardlaw were doing exactly what they would have done with their baby in Denmark. In Denmark, everyone leaves their babies outside in the cold, because they think it's better for them. But in the United States, this same action is considered child abuse. Vanya and Nils thought that America would use cultural relativism and agree with what they were doing even if they didn't agree with it, because everyone lives their life differently, but that doesn't mean that one should be punished for experiencing it this way. But what they realized was that they weren't being given that respect. Instead, they were judged and punished for their actions,.