This post highlights the work required of my SA 202: Introduction to
Anthropology students. Students were given the opportunity to explore a
different culture through two lenses, cultural relativism and
ethnocentrism, and through this exercise learn about themselves and the
other culture. Several students were given the opportunity to have their
exemplary work featured on the blog, and the students who provided
permission have their work featured here in this and the following blog
posts. Please show your appreciation for their work through the
comments.
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| Screenshot of Amaya participating in the "Stand on Business" challenge in Love Island USA |
By: Maryah Hoback-Blair
The way people interact with each other varies depending on
where they grew up, how they were taught to interact, and the cultures they are
surrounded by. While these all play a role in interpersonal interactions, there
are different ways people interpret the interactions and languages of those
from different cultures. Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism are aspects that
numerous anthropologists use to help understand one's feelings about others’
cultures and the reactions one has to what another individual does.
In the seventh season of Peacock’s popular reality TV show Love Island USA there were a variety of
games the contestants played throughout the season; however, one game, “Stand
on Business,” contained an intense interaction between the show's stars. During
this game contestants were allowed to anonymously share their feelings,
questions, and comments about others in the villa. One contestant, Amaya (a
Latina American woman), read a comment that stood out to everyone. The card
read, “You cry more than needed. You try to move too fast for everyone,” and after
reading the card Amaya was visibly upset. It was revealed that another
contestant, Austin (a white American man), had written the comment (Thursby,
2025). Other individuals, including Bryan (a Latino American man), then came to
Amaya's defense (Thursby, 2025). Although Amaya, Austin, Bryan, and the show’s
other contestants had different ways of interpreting the situation, this paper
will focus on the main two types of interpretation: cultural relativism and
ethnocentrism, what these are, and how each contestant's reaction fits into the
two categories.
In the book Anthropology:
Asking Questions About Human Origins, Diversity, and Culture ethnocentrism
is defined as “the assumption that one’s own way of doing things is correct,
while dismissing other people’s practices or views as wrong or ignorant”
(Fuentes, Vivanco, Welsch, 2017, pg. 11). In contrast to ethnocentrism's
definition, cultural relativism is described as “the moral and intellectual
principle that one should withhold judgement about seemingly strange or exotic
beliefs and practices” (Fuentes, Vivanco, Welsch, 2017, pg. 12).
Anthropologists traditionally use culture relativism to avoid misunderstanding
or misinterpreting the practices and traditions of other cultures. They also
try to use culture relativism to gain a better understanding of the diversity
of different cultures and why individuals communicate and interact in the ways
they do (Fuentes, Vivanco, Welsch, 2017).
Both ethnocentric and culturally relativistic interpretations
can be derived from the scenario provided above. Individuals can interpret
Austin’s reaction to Amaya's use of “Babe, mi amor, and mi vida” along with her
passionate and intense feelings conveyed in her speech as an ethnocentric
reaction to the situation (Thursby, 2025). He was quick to judge Amaya for
sharing her feelings and emotions in a way that he was not used to and stated
how uncomfortable it made him and the other contestants. Austin viewing Amaya’s
language and emotions in a judgmental way is that of a typical ethnocentric
reaction. Austin is likely used to women in his life not using words like “babe”
and “my love” in reference to everyone; therefore, he automatically assumed
Amaya was trying to flirt with or was getting too close to the other
contestants, even though her usage of these words and sharing her feelings is
something that is normalized in her Hispanic culture. Austin’s ethnocentric
reaction ultimately created a barrier between him and Amaya and did not allow for
communication and understanding.
While Austin had a more negative, ethnocentric response to
Amaya's “intensity of emotions and feelings,” another contestant, Bryan, came
to Amaya's defense in a more culturally relativistic way (Thursby, 2025). Bryan
shared that Amaya’s language and actions are typical and normal in Hispanic
culture, and that Amaya should not be judged or put down for sharing her
emotions in ways she is used to. He also shared that if Austin wanted Amaya to
meet him halfway then Austin would also have to meet her halfway and try
understanding the culture she comes from and the influence it has on how she
speaks to others (Thursby, 2025). Bryan coming to Amaya’s defense was a culturally
relativistic response that allowed the other individuals to better understand
why Amaya talked to everyone with so much emotion.
After reviewing both the ethnocentric and cultural
relativistic responses the contestants had, it can be interpreted that their
reactions are valid and understandable through looking at the cultures they
grew up in. If I was in this situation, I would like to try to understand why
Amaya used such passionate language. Coming from a household where my mom
always says ‘I love you’ when I am leaving, going to bed, or coming home I
understand why Amaya was affectionate towards the other contestants. I often
tell everyone I love them when I hang up the phone or leave somewhere because
that is what I am used to. Amaya may have been surrounded by women in her life
that were not afraid to share their feelings and that conceivably made her
stronger and more open to sharing her emotions. This approach to Amaya’s
language, emotions, and actions can be viewed as a cultural relativistic reaction.
Ultimately, cultural relativism and ethnocentrism influence
how we see other cultures daily. By viewing other cultures in a less judgmental
and culturally relativistic way we can continue to understand the variety of
cultures in the world and how they play a role in our lives and the lives of
others.
References
Thursby, B. (Director).
Season 7, Episode 26. [TV Series Episode]. In J. Barker, A. Cadman, R.
Cowles,
C. Fenster, R. Foster, B. Garrett, D. George, T. Gould, J. Hochman, C.
Rosenthal,
B. Schaeffer, A. Sher, M. Spencer, B. Thursby (Executive Producers), Love
Island USA. ITV
Entertainment; CBS.
Welsch,
R. L., Vivanco, L. A., & Fuentes, A. (2017). What are
the four subfields of
anthropology?
In Anthropology: Asking questions about
human origins, diversity, and
culture. Oxford
University Press. ISBN
978-0-19-994759-1
Among the many things that define, divide,
and bring together humans, culture is one of the more complex. Love Island
USA is a reality television show that, while dramatized, portrays the
intricacies of human interaction and how we navigate our differences in search
of connection. The following scenario explores cultural differences and how it
can impact our perception of others. Through defining and using the lenses of
cultural relativism and ethnocentrism, we can dissect this scene and study how
it applies to our social lives.
In Season 7, Episode 26 of Love
Island USA, Amaya, a Latina American woman, read an initially anonymous
remark from Austin, a Caucasian American man. In his remark, he criticized her
for being overemotional and intense. Ace, an African American man, added to
this criticism by bringing up Amaya’s use of the word “babe” when addressing
people, claiming it to be an example of her intense mannerisms (Love Island
USA). A Latin American man by the name of Bryan pointed out that in
Hispanic cultures it is much more common to refer to people in this way. After
some discourse, Amaya ultimately decided to place the criticism aside and
cherish this aspect of her personality.
Two terms help understand what
happened between these four contestants. The first is ethnocentrism. According
to sociology professor and journalist Geraldine Wagner, ethnocentrism is “the
tendency to evaluate other cultures based on the standards and values of one's
own culture, often leading to perceptions of superiority” (Wagner). On the other hand, cultural
relativism is an approach that encourages acceptance and tolerance of cultures
we perceive as different. Alexandra Howson, who holds a Ph.D in sociology,
frames it as: “a philosophical concept that posits that a person's beliefs,
values, and practices should be understood within the context of their own
culture, rather than judged against the standards of another culture” (Howson).
While it is natural to notice differences in culture and compare them to our
own, cultural relativism promotes an unbiased, broader horizon. To embrace this
concept, one must be willing to put in authentic research, time, and effort to
learn the reasons why certain behaviors exist within a culture.
Applying both philosophies to the Love
Island USA scenario allows a more comprehensive understanding of the
interaction. Ethnocentrism is represented by Austin and Ace. Both assigned
negative connotations with Amaya’s expression of her culture and criticized her
on two fronts: her emotional intensity and her language. Austin, either from
his environment growing up or external factors, found Amaya’s intensity to be
inappropriate and immature. Ace may have found Amaya’s use of “babe” to be
oddly intimate and equally inappropriate. While it is natural to react to
different experiences with confusion or even hostility, Austin and Ace did not
take the time to evaluate their initial feelings and look further than their
own sociocultural roots. Austin’s criticisms were aimed at changing Amaya while
he expended no effort to change his own bias.
In stark contrast, Bryan
represented cultural relativism in his efforts to highlight Hispanic culture
and using it to explain her mannerism, language choices, and emotional disposition. In response to Ace’s criticism of
Amaya’s language, Bryan stated: “Coming from a Hispanic household, calling
someone 'Babe,' 'mi amor,' 'mi vida,' that's just how we talk. You're telling
her to meet you halfway; you got to meet her halfway, too” (Love Island USA).
He applied the context of the culture to the situation and emphasized that
if we want others to understand us, we must put in the effort to understand
them as well. As Bryan aptly demonstrated, cultural relativism is curated when
we stop, think, research, and ask instead of defaulting to judgment.
My own reaction was a mix of both ethnocentrism
and cultural relativism. I, as a Caucasian American woman, am not used to being
referred to as “babe” and I would initially feel surprised. This reaction is
ethnocentric. Accepting other cultures is not always an easy task and expecting
ourselves never to be shocked by new things is unnecessarily pressuring and
unproductive. What is more important is how we react to that initial
discomfort. In reaction to my shock, I would stop to consider that Amaya grew
up in a different culture than mine, and the things that confuse me might make
perfect sense to her. My next step would be to ask her in private about it, not
necessarily to criticize, but to hear her viewpoint. This represents cultural
relativism: an effort to understand, not condemn.
At the end of these confrontations,
one of the most important things to remember is that mistakes are opportunities
to learn. Although Austin and Ace may not have demonstrated acceptance
perfectly, their mistake led to a valuable insight from Bryan into other
cultures. This experience will hopefully
prompt them to reflect on their initial ethnocentric biases and lean into cultural
relativism more in the future. Human error will always be a fact of our social
world and giving one another grace for healthy mistakes is as important as
reflecting on our own shortcomings. Adopting cultural relativism requires
focused effort, and fostering healthy connections with all walks of people is well
worth that effort.
Works
Cited
Howson, Alexandra. “Cultural Relativism.” EBSCO
Information Services, Inc., 2023,
www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/cultural-relativism.
Love Island USA, season 2, episode 26, CBS, 1 Jul.
2025.
Wagner, Geraldine. “Ethnocentrism.” EBSCO
Information Services, Inc., 2024,
www.ebsco.com/research-starters/ethnic-and-cultural-studies/ethnocentrism.
