Ethnocentrism is defined as the tendency to judge the customs of others by the standards of one's own ethnographic present. In a nut shell, Ethnocentrism is "thinking that one's own group's way is superior from others" or "judging other groups as inferior to one's own".
When the Spaniards first reached the shores of the Philippines, natives were immediately branded as barbaric. Their need to convert the natives into Christians was a priority, (that and the fact that they wanted to spread Christianity itself). Being non - Christians meant being uncivilized for the Spaniards. Were the natives inferior compared to the Spaniards because of their beliefs? Was their assumption that the natives were better off with Christianity than their current beliefs correct? Again there lies the problem with ethnocentrism, making false assumptions about others ways based on our own limited experiences. People that are guilty of being ethnocentric are not even aware of it. We tend to condense our experiences and make it into our own "reality". Why? Simple, because it works for us. Our perception of how things work, religious, social, political, etc. provide an important anchor, an important grasp that we are still within the frame of our reality, of what is normal (for us). Thus it helps us function properly in our daily routine.
If ethnocentrism lets us get in touch with (our own) reality, does this mean that being ethnocentric is normal? Again in a nut shell, "Ethnocentrism does not make us understand that we do not understand". It leads to misunderstanding with other people. We tend to limit our perspective with that of our own. Being narrow-minded? Perhaps. Being judgmental? Definitely. Hasty generalization often comes from ethnocentrism. We tend to ignore what is meaningful and functional to other to our own tinted glasses. We see their ways in terms of our own experiences, not their context.
The major error I made during the analysis of the film was egocentricity. According to Lau (70), egocentricity can be termed as an attitude that "my idea is the best" or that "my way is the only and best way.... These include stereotyping, conformity, ethnocentricity, faulty common sense, rationalization, and unwarranted assumptions among others. ...
To begin with, it is necessary to define the word knowledge. Knowledge it is a justified true belief. An idea, prove to be true by an explanation or evidence. Most of the times knowledge is created due to curiosity, doubt and investigation that men does, and it depends manly of our senses, interpret...
The Church and Racism: Toward a More Fraternal Society issued by the Pontifical Justice and Peace Commission expresses their opposition against all forms of racism. The main objective of this primary source document is to inform the public about the origins and nature of racism in our society as wel...
Both Marx and Engels were egocentric in their thinking regarding the decline of cultures, as well as total equality, and felt all of society should share their opinions. They resisted the change brought on by the industrial revolution as they felt it contributed significantly to the decline of cultures; therefore, adopting ethnocentric attitudes. ...
