After watching President Obama answer various questions from young voters in today’s MTV/BET/CMT public forum, one of
Obama’s responses in particular filled me with hope and reminded me of an important class concept I teach my students.
When asked about cyberbullying, President Obama said, “All of us have an obligation to think about how we are treating other people…. if someone is different from you, that’s not something you criticize, that’s something you appreciate.” To illustrate that concept, he explained how he and Michelle make specific efforts to talk with their daughters about people who are different. Instead of criticizing people who are different, the President said he asks his daughters to try and see through their eyes, to think about what the world is like walking in their shoes, so to speak.
It’s a beautiful concept, and not one that we see very often in the political world or in our own social worlds.
Instead of trying to understand a different religion, we criticize it.
Instead of trying to understand the lifestyle of someone poor who cannot get a job, we criticize him or her.
Instead of trying to understand the challenges of inner-city youth and education, we criticize the parents, or the teachers, or the school.
Instead of trying to understand a person who loves someone of the same-sex, we criticize them.
Instead of trying to understand a person who wants better health care, we criticize him or her.
Rarely do we appreciate. Appreciation, however, is the key.
In my high school and college communication classes, we discuss intercultural communication and the concepts of ethnocentrism and ethnorelativism. In short, ethnocentrism is the idea that one’s own culture, values, beliefs, and behaviors are the ONLY right or normal cultural identity; such values are superior to all others.
Ethnocentrism has several stages. It begins with intolerance and stereotypes and often includes isolation from those who are different. We criticize those who are different because we do not know them. We don’t have a meaningful relationship with someone of a different religion, different socio-economic status, different background, different sexuality, etc.
At best, ethnocentric individuals will reach a stage of “minimization,” where cultural differences are minimized. Basically, this type of person views everyone as the same. He or she is nice, but cultural differences are not truly recognized and appreciated.
The fact is that we are not the same. The problem is that someone who is intolerant of others and someone who views everyone as the same use their own culture, values, beliefs, and behaviors as the benchmark by which others are evaluated. Clearly, if we have a negative view of differences, others will be evaluated in a negative way. But even when people are nice and seemingly tolerant, if others are viewed basically as the same, then one’s own culture and values are still the norm, the right, and the benchmark by which we evaluate others.
The key to cultural growth is best explained in a concept known in my field of expertise as ethnorelativism. To be brief, ethnorelativism is the active appreciation and understanding of those who are different. While we recognize our own values and beliefs, ethnorelativistic people do not perceive their own values and beliefs as the only right way or the only normal way. Ethnorelativism explains that there is not a superior culture or belief or value. Moreover, we do not criticize. Ethnorelativistic people are simply curious, appreciative, understanding, and non-judgmental. When criticism is necessary, the criticism stems from an appropriate cultural context that is reached through education and understanding of those who are different, and not simply because our way is superior or better.
The key to ethnorelativism is empathy, which of course is to feel what another person feels. When Obama described how he teaches his daughters to see the world through the eyes of those who are different, I thought of this concept. We must strive for empathy. If we want to grow and have a better world, we do not criticize those with different religions; rather, we step into their world and with a judgment free attitude, we simply try to see the world as they see it. We do not criticize the poor as lazy; we try to see the world through their perspectives. We explore, we learn, we appreciate, and we understand.
These concepts have helped shape my political views, and I hope that you think about these concepts and that they can help shape your views. Here’s ethnocentrism in our time: controversies over the Muslim Mosque at Ground Zero, threats to burn the Qur’an, accusing Muslims of being terrorists, calling the unemployed lazy, not allowing homosexuals to “tell” in the military, arguing that people without insurance should get a job and that they must be lazy, not protecting civil rights, arguing that homosexuality and same-sex marriage are inferior to heterosexuality and traditional marriage and on and on and on.
Each of those examples—and I’m sure you can think even more—represents a negative evaluation based on the belief that one’s culture, values, and beliefs are superior to the others.
If only we could keep an open mind, appreciate, and understand: we’d have a much better world.
A little more conversation, please 