A college sociology instructor challenged me with this question: Is it possible for us to be completely culturally relativistic? She stated she feels a certain amount of ethnocentrism is healthy. I agreed that ethnocentrism is not all bad...if we are willing to try and understand other cultures, and to acknowledge that "my" way, or my beliefs might not be the right ones for everybody. I might be proud of being an American for certain reasons (such as: Americans have led the world in technology, especially in the development of medical technology), and for this worldwide health care contribution, I am still proud of American ingenuity. However, there are other things about being an American I am certainly not proud of (such as: having the highest homicidal, and incarceration rate in the world). I have noticed that I am ethnocentric about certain aspects about my culture, while other aspects I am not. I think ethnocentrism becomes problematic when we refuse to consider any other opinions, regardless of the evidence. Then, we just turn into "ignoramuses," as my country father used to say. I boast of myself that I am an "open-minded skeptic." However, evolution, progress and improvements are part of human development; thank goodness for innovative minds! We should keep our minds open for new ideas and concepts so we can advance and move forward in our lives, while still requiring sound evidence to substantiate people's claims. In the end, I would say I'm a blend of mild ethnocentrism (including a dose of healthy skepticism), and a social scientist who is always looking to find the bigger picture of why people behave as they do.
The idea that anyone can be 100% unbiased or culturally “relative” is a nice-sounding theory. Ethnocentrism is a healthy response to the social conditioning of family, friends and community that we have had since birth. Those people who did not bond with their family are maladjusted and said to have a personality disorder called, Attachment Disorder, which can plague them the whole of their lives. Relating to, being a part of the "in-group" (as psychology terms it) is clearly key to development of individual healthy identities, and therefore, necessary. Even from an evolutionary psychology viewpoint, we are genetically predisposed, even "programmed" to respond to others in our environment by forming attachments, thus forming "culture." It is a necessary and healthy part of social psychological development, and interpersonal and communication development to "attach" and identify with our culture. To reject our environment; family, friends, and country, is in a sense a rejection of a piece of ourselves. We all come from somewhere. We all have a distinct, unique history. We may not choose our parents or our country, but to deny our attachment to them is to dismiss our genetics, our heritage, our history, no matter how humble or how lofty, how awful or how wonderful. I believe to be completely culturally relativistic is to be devoid of a connection to one's own roots...to live in shameful denial of one's originating culture is to deny an important part of one’s identity. I don't think I want to be completely culturally relative; I'll be proud of who I am today, and of my heritage, understanding that it has combined to make me an integrated whole person, a Gestalt. Our lives are a tapestry, as singer Carole King pointed out: "My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever changing view. A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold, a tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold" (Tapestry, Carole King).
Another form of ethnocentrism is seen as ego-centrism, wherein the individual attributes more importance to self than to any other. Again, each of us must have a healthy dose of self-love and self-respect to have a healthy personality. The opposite of self-love is self-destruction. Without self-confidence and a strong ego, we fall prey to manipulation and abuse. As Christ said, "Love others as you love yourself." He knew that self-love is related closely to our ability to love others. We must accept ourselves as we are, and make healthy choices for ourselves first and foremost; then, and only then, are we healthy enough to offer acceptance and love to others. We must be ego-centered, or we will be other-centered. Without loving the core of "me," I cannot love the core of anybody else. As with ethnocentrism (love of the group), ego-centrism (love of self) is a healthy and necessary foundational personality component.
So while ethnocentrism and ego-centrism may seem on the surface to be unnecessary or even evil, it is like a vaccine; a small amount of it can keep us healthy, keep us from getting really cognitively ill, while a large dose of it might just kill us. Cultural relativism is a pleasant theory, and that's all I ever want it to be, because I want you to love you, and I want me to love me, just as you are, and just as I am. Just as each person is a tapestry, unique as the individual’s fingerprint, so is each culture. To strive for intercultural tolerance, understanding and compassion is a worthy goal! We ourselves must first learn, and teach our children to respect differences. Yet, to be blind to differences is not the answer either. There is a happy medium: to appreciate our heritage, to love ourselves as we are today, and finally, to accept others as we accept ourselves...and that's no theory!
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