Aisha Reed Professor Navarette Sociology 10, 11 February 2013 Nacirema is American It is very difficult to think outside the box and let go of one’s cultural norms. It is very easy to point the finger in disgust and fall victim of ethnocentrism when it comes to an unfamiliar culture. The article Body Ritual among the Nacirema, by Horace Miner, brings to light a group of North American people, named Nacirema, that culture includes the obsession over rituals that are done to the human body. These rituals might seem different but try and take a culturally relative perspective and ask yourself, “Why?” Nacirema’s culture is highly developed and they are extremely committed to reaching economic goals. A substantial amount of money and time are spent on ritual deeds that are suppose to improve the appearance and health of the body.
The immediate view of the picture on first glance is that each Cambell's Soup can is identical and cloned multiple times. When looking at the picture it is easy to lose focus as the repetition of uniform cylinders creates a visual blur and conceals the diversity among the cans. This concept of conformity is often used to describe society as a whole. Like the painting, society has overarching norms that often mask individuality. As people develop, they are socialized into the their community by learning what is and what is not acceptable to those around them.
Instead, they retain them. The unique characteristics of each culture are still identifiable within the larger American society, much like the ingredients in a salad are still identifiable; yet, contribute to the overall make up of the salad bowl. Without immigration, the USA would not be the same place it is today. This country was built and molded on immigration; rather it be voluntary or forced. When foreigners immigrate to the USA, it’s usually solely to make a better life for their family.
In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society? Ethnocentrism is believing that one culture is better than the other culture, personally I think that ethnocentrism can be detrimental to a society because along with someone believing that their culture is better than another it can also bring negativity and we all know that negativity brings down people and places which causes hostility which can result in unnecessary violence. 3. Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is when a person relocates from one country to another for reasons like finding a new job.
In addition, in most cases they will serve what you like anyway because they are trying to win you over on their side anyway. What we must realize and understand is that not everybody likes the same things and the same people. However, we must not be so ethnocentric that we think we are the best and no one else matter. We must understand that the world is bigger than we are and that we can learn from other culture. We must see that culture relativism is a must and the best way to go if we want to grow together.
(1) A huge advantage of ethnocentrism is the “we” feeling with associates that are created by believing that one’s way is the best. That feeling strengthens the idea of unity among the people in their society. The number of advantages is comparably smaller than the disadvantages. The use of ethnocentrism is usually much avoided by sociologists. They believe that it could lead to false assumptions about cultural differences.
Another reason that it is better mixed gender class. You can learn from very early ages to respect or be considerate for the opposite sex. Regardless of males tend to fight, to be disciplined, to skip class, to answer back to the professor. While females tend to be more calm and quiet, but this does not mean that the both gender can learn good manners and they can turn a good academic atmosphere in teaching site. Finally, in our society we need work effectively to both in the workplace and in the academic is for this reason that mixed gender class help to create and develop a good team work, encouraging healthy competition and the achievement of the objectives.
By reflecting over some thoughts he can conclude that we are surrounded by snobs. This is maybe why we have this so-called career crises and career anxiety. The “snob phenomenon” doesn’t depend on where on the country you come from, but it is more like a global disease so to say. Here Mr. Botton again come with a sort of conclusion” A snob is anybody who takes a small part of you and uses that to come to a complete vision of who you are. That is snobbery”.
Ethnocentrism is the thinking that one's race or ethnic group culture is of central importance. This is because such a group shares the same beliefs, norms and activities. Ethnocentrism is one of the main reasons why disunions exist among member of different ethnicities, religious groups and races. For instance, the members of an ethnocentric group believe that their group is superior or better in a number of ways compared to others around it. Living in such multicultural country as the USA, adds on many dimensions to our daily lives in contrast with ethnocentrism.
The issue at hand is whether students should be allowed to question everything. The issue is controversial one as there are pros and cons to both of the approaches. So, utlimately that approach is better which has more positive effect on students. I believe that students questioning everything is the better approach because this process creates more knowledgable and better students. Allowing students to question everything is better because it allows students to think more on the topic.