Ethnocentrism (Essay Sample)

Summary
This is a two page paper that discusses two different questions. The first question dwells on what ethnocentrism is and how it manifests itself in our contemporary world. It also discusses the positive and negative consequences of the attitude of ethnocentrism. The second question discusses the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and the lessons Americans can learn from this empire. The paper also looks how the statement, “The same conditions always produce the same results." connects to the rise, achievement, and fall of Rome and for civilizations today. The paper relies on no sources and is in MLA format.
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Ethnocentrism in the Contemporary World
Ethnocentrism is defined as humans judging other cultures, by exclusively using standards and values of their own culture. Ethnocentrism makes most individuals to prefer their culture, which they assume is superior to any other. It is also leads to generalized contempt towards other people, who are considered different due to their cultural disposition. Ethnocentrism might be manifested in superiority attitudes or at times in hostility. It is expressed in discrimination, verbal aggressiveness, proselytizing and violence. Ethnocentrism attitude presumes that an individual culture can be utilized in evaluating, gauging and criticizing the behaviors of other cultures.
Ethnocentrism is manifested in many areas of today’s contemporary world. The Americans and Christians assume that the monogamous type of marriage, whereby one man marries one woman is the most normal and ideal type of marriage. These two view other forms of marriage such as polygamous as immoral, inferior, savage or abnormal. In America, there are laws such as those against bigamy that protect monogamous marriages.
In the African, Indian and African American cultures, fair skinned women have been presumed to be more beautiful than their dark skinned counterparts. The media and entertainment industries help in fuelling this concept since most African American, black and Indian female celebrities are fair skinned. The covers of fashion magazines and product advertisement on television and billboards are graced by fair skinned women. Most dark skinned women have ended up using skin lighteners to make their skins fairer and look beautiful.
Ethnocentrism is manifested in religion as Christians view everyone who does not believe in the ethics and morals of the religion with prejudice. The Muslims are devotees of Allah and view everyone who does not believe in the tenets of this faith with suspicion and deem them as inferior.
Ethnocentrism positive definition is individuals feel that their culture should be preferred by other people. This depicts the positive feelings people have towards their culture and this gives them a sense of group identity and position in history. People are filled with a sense of pride towards their culture and celebrate it due to ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism can become negative if one assumes that their culture is superior and it becomes the standard gauge to judge other peoples cultures. An example is what happened during colonization, when British explorers assumed that their culture was superior and they needed to civilize the barbaric individuals they found in the colonies.
Roman Empire
Introduction
The rise of the Roman Empire was quite rapid and its fall equally dramatic. This paper discusses the statement, “The same conditions always produce the same results,” in relation to the Roman Empire. It explains how the Rome rose to power within Italy and the prosperity and achievements of the empire. The paper also discusses the factors that were responsible for the fall and decline of the empire.
Rome was a city established by various italic tribes within central Italy. They also controlled a few other surrounding cities. However, amid 338 and 290 BC, the Romans started expanding aggressively and asserting control in other parts of Italy. The roman military was strong and by 290BC, it had conquered most of the Italian peninsula. The roman army insatiable appetite and prowess enabled it to conquer other major empires including the Egypt, Persia, Carthage, Greek and Syria. They also conquered the Celtic region which comprise of the modern day England, France, Spain and Germany. Only the Germans proved difficult to conquer due to the decentralized nature of its people. The rise of the Roman Empire is attributed to its naval dominance as it conquered and controlled the most strategically located coastlines within the Mediterranean. The Romans military prowess was unrivalled, as they trained and used the first professional army in the world. The military was disciplined and trained than any other in the world.
Some of the achievements of the Roman Empire are that it improved the protection governance and economy of the conquered people. The roman army protected the captives from barbaric attacks and constructed better road systems in the conquered regions. The centralized trade laws and system promoted free trade within the empire, as they increased exports and free movement of goods. The empire introduced a standardized currency throughout the empire, facilitating governance and trading. The empire also introduced innovative technologies in architectural designs and construction. Rome also provided adequate food supplies to its people, preventing constant riots and uprisings as people fought for food. The empire purchased food from other regions such as North Africa in times of drought or shortages.
Various factors led to the fall of the Roman Empire that lasted for 500 years, during the period between 27 BC and 476 AD. These can be classified into economic, military, economic and changes in the citizen attitudes. The political reason is that the empire was not properly organized, as it was controlled by the emperor, who was...