“Ethnocentrism”
Six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. (“The Holocaust”) 800,000 people died during the Rwandan genocide. (“Genocide-Rwanda”) An entire civilization wiped out when the British occupied the Tasmanian Islands. ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") Genocide is a direct result of ethnocentrism, a monster terrorizing out society. “Ethnocentrism is the view that a particular ethnic group’s system of beliefs and values is morally superior to all others.” ("Ethnocentrism") There are three ways to combat ethnocentrism: education, awareness, and laws.
Ignorance serves as a propeller for ethnocentrism. However, this can be countered through education, specifically, education about other cultures. At a young age, children are taught to have pride in their country or heritage. Yet excessive pride, known as nationalism, is internecine cultures. The first known case of genocide happened in the Tasmanian Islands in 1804. ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") There was tension in the beginning when the British did not honor the Aboriginal sharing and exchange system. ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") “Europeans did not understand what was expected of them. They saw the Aboriginal people as beggars and thieves.” ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") The British thought the Tasmanian Aborigines were primitive people ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") Feeling that they were superior to the Tasmanian culture; the British carelessly decimated a nation. They even went so far as to make a museum show casing the skulls of these “primitive” people. ("Natural History Museum Returns Aboriginal Remains to Australia Culture24") If the British, instead of assuming superiority, educated themselves about the culture, this genocide may have never occurred. The same event occurred during the Holocaust. After World War I, many Germans begin to blame the Jews for the war. Hatred came to a rise when Hitler came into power. During World War II, the Nazis deported millions of Jews to concentration camps where they were killed in a gas chamber, cremated, starved to death, worked to death, or died from medical experiments. (Doris 13) Educating people about other cultures should occur at a young age. Children should be taught to take measure of a culture using that culture’s standards. Only then can ethnocentrism be eliminated.
Another solution to ethnocentrism involves raising awareness. Those who have never taken an anthropology class have probably never heard about the genocide in Tasmanian Islands. If it were not for a movie, many people would be unaware of the Rwandan genocide. Perhaps, if more people were aware of the horrors of genocide, it would never occur. Sometimes, people are aware of genocide but separate themselves from the issue, ignoring it thinking it could never happen to them. “Unlike the instigators of the killings of Armenians in 1915, and of Jews and Roma in 1941-5, no-one tried to keep the genocide in Rwanda a secret. Journalists and television cameras reported what they saw, or what they found when the genocide was over.” (“Genocide-Rwanda”) Any culture could possibly be subjected to genocide. Therefore, every culture should be aware of the fact.
Finally, ethnocentrism and genocide can be conquered through laws. There should be dire consequences for acts of genocide. These consequences should be enacted through an international tribunal. An international tribunal successfully brought the Nazis to trial during World War II. ("The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy") The International Military Tribunal indicted 24 defendants in the Nuremburg Trials. ("The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy") Of these 24, the judges sentenced 12 to death; three to life imprisonment, four to prison sentences from 10-20 years, and 3 were acquitted. ("The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy") Therefore, it can possibly work. In addition, the United Nations should pass an international law condemning genocide.
Ethnocentrism is one of the most lethal problems affecting society with the potential to wipe out entire populations; ethnocentrism needs to be combated. There are three ways to combat ethnocentrism: education, awareness, and laws. Genocide still occurs today, most recently in Darfur and Somalia and unless steps are taken to eliminate ethnocentrism, genocide will occur for centuries to come.
Works Cited
Bergen, Doris. War & Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003
"Ethnocentrism." Philosophy - AllAboutPhilosophy.org. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"GENOCIDE - RWANDA." Peace Pledge Union. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"The Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"Invasion Of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land." Indigenous Australia - Aboriginal Art, History and Culture. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"Natural History Museum Returns Aboriginal Remains To Australia Culture24." Home Culture24. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
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