Ethnocentrism Essay

In this view, ethnocentric people believe that their culture is in some way exceptional to the rest. The term “ethnocentric” derives from a Greek word “ethno” which means a group or nation and an English word, “center. ” Ethnocentric people believe that all unfamiliar cultural practices are immoral and inferior to in-group values. As a result, the symbols that define their nationality, ethnicity, or in- group become symbols of pride and discrimination whereas the historical and cultural characteristics of another outgroup become objects that arouse hatred and negativity (Moran, Harris & Moran, 2014). For many years, ethnocentrism has been a significant cause of conflicts in the society, and it is still a problem of the 21st century because of the competing views from each group.

Jandt (2017) shows great concern because of the manner in which Trump’s administration calls the Mexicans as drug traffickers and rapists because they are not Americans. Additionally, President Trump has openly banned all immigration from Muslim countries because they are said to be “terrorists. ” As much as these measures by Mr. Trump are welcome because they are meant to protect America from external attacks such as the ones that have occurred previously, it seems to be a way of telling Americans to guard America’s Dream. In fact, Trump wants the Americans to believe that everybody wants to come to America, do business in America, and live in America and finally destroy America because they envy America. Additionally, little efforts have been put to stop this malice which works against the unity of the society and seems that it is getting to the levels that it cannot be controlled if the people at the leadership position can encourage it.

Mostly, it becomes difficult to combat this malice because everybody believes that they are right and thus, nobody is willing to accept that people are different because of the culture and customs they are used to. As a result, everyone wants to impose their religion on another, and nobody wants to compromise their values and accept the diversity of the society. Nations have destroyed one another because of the failure to recognize that people are different and that culture is not the only important aspect in the community but how people live in harmony with one another. Although issues of ethnocentrism are fading out slowly, acts and utterances of some leaders such as President Trump seem to return, and this should not be the case if societies need to coexist.