Essay/Term paper: Ethnocentrism

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Sociology Term Papers

Ethnocentrism #1a.> The difference between the way that the Thais deal with traffic accidents is very different from our own in the manner that when an accident occurs they compare the damage done to each vehicle and then the damage done to each person. To call the police is a big waste of time because many other riders do not have a license. After the problem had been taken care of you are not supposed to make any other contact with the other party. It almost seems like the debate between the groups that gathered was the way that the people could get rid of boredom. #1b.> Not going to jail and the passing of the day is the need that the Thais obtained. #2.> Three examples of Ethnocentrism: a) When the people from the street approached the injured men, the people seemed just as interested in the damage to the motorcycles as they were to the injuries to the persons riding the bikes. b) There was no direct contact between the parties that were in the accident, the people standing around each of the men did the running between the men. The police were not called and there was no lawsuit or fight between the motorists. c) There is just as many people without licenses as there are people with licenses. #3.> Sometimes when we avoid ethnocentric behavior, and respect the other cultures, we lose a portion of our own culture. Our culture is supposed to be based on peace but, for example, with the rise of violence in schools it is necessary to keep all knives out of the classroom. The government let "ceremonial knives" enter the school. What really is the difference between a "ceremonial" and regular knives? They both cause bleeding when used and they both kill, isn"t this what we"re trying to stop? We are going to lose our culture in order to keep religion alive. When a person is visiting a different culture than our own it is necessary to know how to act so you will not create any tension. One example that I can remember is when now ex-President Bush visited Australia. He started to walk off his jet and was waving our peace sign, index and middle finger extended. In Australia our peace sign means what our extended middle finger does. This caused a great deal of embarrassment to the United States.