Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] ethnocentrism (was Re: 2207 - For your own good, st...
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In a message dated 8/8/2002 1:03:32 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
No, it's not! It is typical American presumption, but it is not
ethnocentrism.
Calling it "ethnocentrism" sure *sounds good*. Indeed, it's almost as
effective as calling someone a racist. But that too would have made no sense
in this case. So to me it just added fuel to the fire you appear to be
wanting to extinguish.
Sincerely,
Bob
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
SandraDodd@... writes:
> To look at all the world through American eyes and judge them ignorant orSandra,
> backward or mean or anything by our current standards and under our current
>
> laws is to think and act as though we (current Americans, or in Ned's case
> current American Libertarians) are the holders of pure truth and right, and
>
> that others are slackers who should get with the (our) program. That is
> ethnocentrism.
No, it's not! It is typical American presumption, but it is not
ethnocentrism.
Calling it "ethnocentrism" sure *sounds good*. Indeed, it's almost as
effective as calling someone a racist. But that too would have made no sense
in this case. So to me it just added fuel to the fire you appear to be
wanting to extinguish.
Sincerely,
Bob
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/8/02 2:30:21 PM, rsale515@... writes:
<< Calling it "ethnocentrism" sure *sounds good*. Indeed, it's almost as
effective as calling someone a racist. But that too would have made no sense
in this case. >>
Why do you say that?
It had to do with American sensitivities and assumptions.
Sandra
<< Calling it "ethnocentrism" sure *sounds good*. Indeed, it's almost as
effective as calling someone a racist. But that too would have made no sense
in this case. >>
Why do you say that?
It had to do with American sensitivities and assumptions.
Sandra
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In a message dated 8/8/2002 1:52:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
I don't mean to make a mountain out of mole hill. My point is that America
and presumptuous Americans don't constitute an ethnic group. Americans are
not a race per se, nor is American imperialism an ethnic imperialism.
I agree with what you say about American presumption and how it expresses
itself on the international stage, but Ned's thoughts have nothing to do with
ethnicity or race.
Sincerely,
Bob
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
SandraDodd@... writes:
> Why do you say that?Sandra,
> It had to do with American sensitivities and assumptions.
I don't mean to make a mountain out of mole hill. My point is that America
and presumptuous Americans don't constitute an ethnic group. Americans are
not a race per se, nor is American imperialism an ethnic imperialism.
I agree with what you say about American presumption and how it expresses
itself on the international stage, but Ned's thoughts have nothing to do with
ethnicity or race.
Sincerely,
Bob
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/8/02 3:14:50 PM, rsale515@... writes:
<< I don't mean to make a mountain out of mole hill. My point is that America
and presumptuous Americans don't constitute an ethnic group. Americans are
not a race per se, nor is American imperialism an ethnic imperialism. >>
Oh. I see the objection.
The term still applies even when it's not an ethnic difference but a cultural
difference. And there IS an American culture. If the root of the word is
technically not what it ended up being, it can join the majority of living
language then.
The worst example of this ethnocentrism is 18th and 19th century England.
When the sun never set on the British Empire, they also were absolutely
certain that they were the epitome of civilization and all other cultures
were ignorant, backward, primitive, stone-age, etc. It shows in their
writings about language, folklore, clothing, religion, medicine--all the way
down the line, if they found something impressive they wanted to put it in
the British Museum and raise their flag over it.
Our whole "Western Civilization" history comes from their very strange view
of English history, I think, where they meander back and put their
history-class flag on Renaissance Italy, Rome, Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia.
The history of their culture?
Maybe.
A smokescreen for the fact that by the time they got back to Rome the English
were spear-using, skin-wearing folk?
Quite likely.
<< but Ned's thoughts have nothing to do with
ethnicity or race.>>
No they don't. And I didn't mean that by "ethnocentricity" either.
Sandra
<< I don't mean to make a mountain out of mole hill. My point is that America
and presumptuous Americans don't constitute an ethnic group. Americans are
not a race per se, nor is American imperialism an ethnic imperialism. >>
Oh. I see the objection.
The term still applies even when it's not an ethnic difference but a cultural
difference. And there IS an American culture. If the root of the word is
technically not what it ended up being, it can join the majority of living
language then.
The worst example of this ethnocentrism is 18th and 19th century England.
When the sun never set on the British Empire, they also were absolutely
certain that they were the epitome of civilization and all other cultures
were ignorant, backward, primitive, stone-age, etc. It shows in their
writings about language, folklore, clothing, religion, medicine--all the way
down the line, if they found something impressive they wanted to put it in
the British Museum and raise their flag over it.
Our whole "Western Civilization" history comes from their very strange view
of English history, I think, where they meander back and put their
history-class flag on Renaissance Italy, Rome, Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia.
The history of their culture?
Maybe.
A smokescreen for the fact that by the time they got back to Rome the English
were spear-using, skin-wearing folk?
Quite likely.
<< but Ned's thoughts have nothing to do with
ethnicity or race.>>
No they don't. And I didn't mean that by "ethnocentricity" either.
Sandra
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/8/2002 2:25:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:
Bob
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
SandraDodd@... writes:
> The term still applies even when it's not an ethnic difference but aI wasn't aware of that.
> cultural
> difference.
>And there IS an American culture.Indeed there is. And what we do with it abroad is troubling.
Bob
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fetteroll
on 8/8/02 4:28 PM, rsale515@... at rsale515@... wrote:
ethnicity. But the dictionary says "characterized by or based on the
attitude that one's own group is superior."
Joyce
> No, it's not! It is typical American presumption, but it is notI'm not sure I see the difference. Unless you mean American isn't an
> ethnocentrism.
ethnicity. But the dictionary says "characterized by or based on the
attitude that one's own group is superior."
Joyce