Spotlight on Students: Cultural Relativism/Ethnocentrism Assignment

Today's post is dedicated to the exemplary work of two of my Anth 101 students.  All of my Anth 101 students were tasked with identifying the ethnocentric and culturally relativistic reactions to an event that happened in the late 1990s in NYC, as well as their reactions to the event itself.  Two of the students, Christina Jahnes and Esmeralda Salas, executed this assignment quite well and are therefore having their work featured herein.  Their unique interpretations of the assignment demonstrate the utility of cultural relativism and their strengths as students.  Good job, ladies.

Christina Jahnes, Anth 101 Student, Truckee Meadows Community College (published with permission)

           Gezon and Kottak (2011, p. 32) define ethnocentrism as “the tendency to view one’s own culture as superior and to apply one’s own cultural values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people raised in other cultures.”  There are many differences between cultures and in an ethnocentric view, one cannot see the value of any culture but their own because it is believed to be far better than any other.  They typically view other cultures’ behaviors as bizarre or without warrant.  This narrow view does not promote tolerance or acceptance of the beliefs and practices of others.

            Alternatively, cultural relativism is a very different viewpoint than ethnocentrism.  It is an understanding that cultures may be different, but each deserves respect; no behavior should be judged by the standards of another culture (Gezon & Kottak, 2011, p. 33).  The prospective of cultural relativism takes into account the factors that would lead to a culture’s behavior.  They recognize the value in each culture, which leads to tolerance and respect.

            In an ethnocentric view of these parents’ actions, a baby was left outside in the cold, which is dangerous, while Annette Sorensen and Exavier Wardkaw enjoyed a meal inside in the warm café.  Leaving a baby outside by itself seems negligent.  In New York, it is not common practice to leave your toddler outside on the street while you dine inside.  Something terrible could happen in such a dangerous city.  This mother must be crazy to think that endangering her baby by leaving it unattended in the cold was okay, which is why her baby was taken away from her for days and put into foster care.

            In contrast, from a culturally relativistic point of view, the traditions of the Danish culture have their own merits.  From their perspective, the cool fresh air is ideal for children because they are not exposed to the smoky environment of a restaurant.  Keeping the children outside also keeps them healthier because they are not exposed to the cold and flu germs so rampant in the wintertime. The mother properly dressed the baby for the outdoors and had many layers of blankets on, while she could also see the baby from the window, never leaving the child unattended.  Sometimes shops and cafés are so small that they do not easily fit a stroller, so this would be a better option for parents.

            My own opinion falls somewhere in-between these two views. I would not leave my baby outside on the streets of New York City.  It is dangerous and you never know what might happen.  She could have been kidnapped or hit by a car, however it is not so shocking to me that she was left outside in the cold.  I am a preschool teacher and take my students outside all winter long, even when it snows.  We bundle them up and make snow angels and build snowmen.  As long as the baby was dressed properly, the air would not do her any harm.  If I traveled to Denmark, I would consider the idea.  It sounds to me like it is a more relaxed environment where this would be safe and make a lot of sense.  The café’s are small and therefore there may not be enough room.  I would much prefer the fresh air to smoke, which I would never want to expose my baby to.  If I were in my own house on a fall day and my baby fell asleep outside all bundled up, I would certainly let him or her sleep outside in the brisk air. I think that there is a big difference between these two views.  Arresting the mother for endangering her baby seems extreme once you hear that she is a tourist and this is common practice in Denmark.  Just because they are not your views, does not mean they are wrong.  I was glad to hear that their baby was returned to them after four days because they obviously love their child very much and were just following the practices of their culture, which is understandable.

Gezon, L., & Kottak, C. (2011). Culture. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.

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Esmeralda Salas, Anth 101 Student, Truckee Meadows Community College (published with permission)

  

Humankind shares a defining feature that encompasses many facets of life and has allowed innovative advances for survival: culture.  Though people share this concept of culture, ideas about what is acceptable or not vary from one society to the other. Childrearing practices are an example of how, because of different customs, children are brought up in particular manners. What is seen as beneficial for the child and completely normal to one group may be viewed as utter neglect and potentially dangerous to another.  A perfect example of this is the case of Copenhagen native, Annette Sorensen, Brooklyn resident, Exavier Wardlaw, and their 14- month-old daughter.  The manner to which a person approaches and examines this situation can be categorized into one of the two perspectives used to understand culture.

Ethnocentrism is measuring one’s own culture as well as its practices and beliefs against others and arriving at the opinion that the former has superior qualities over the later.  To a lesser extent, ethnocentrism contributes to groups having cultural or national pride. However, this attitude limits an individual’s perspective because it fails to look beyond one’s own boundaries and recognize the diversity in humanity.  

A contrasting viewpoint to ethnocentrism is cultural relativism.  Cultural relativism seeks to understand the beliefs and practices of other cultures based traditions deemed acceptable in that group. This position does not compare one culture to another, rather it understand the different cultures existing parallel to one another. Prescribing solely on this belief can be problematic since some societies’ practices push the limits and border on the unethical.

Seeing Sorensen and Wardlaw’s situation through an ethnocentric lens (based on American standards), one would say their behavior as parents was abnormal and completely careless.  Leaving a child outside in the dark, “in area with quite a bit of drug activity” is considered a reckless and unsafe act (qtd. in Rohde).  Children in America remain at close proximity to a parent or adult at all time in public.  They are taught at an early age not to “talk to strangers.”  Even though this child was not yet of age to properly communicate with others, she was exposed to many unfamiliar and potentially harmful people.  There could have been a number of tragic consequences had the police not intervened; the child could have been abducted or “caught in cross-fires between dueling drug gangs” (Haberman).

 A cultural relativist would point out that this practice fits within the conventions of Danish society.  Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard wrote in an Op-Ed piece an explanation of this Scandinavian practice where “fresh, cold air is good for babies” and they are protected from the elements by being bundled up in heavy goose-down comforters (qtd. in Gordon).   Thus, Sorensen was justified in simply doing what she had learned was best for her child.  Her actions were akin to those of an American parent being overly protective.

After reading this piece, I was able to understand why people, influenced by their cultural beliefs behave the way they do.  I also was made aware of how easy it is to impose one’s own standards upon other’s actions.  Sorensen left her child outside out of habit without thinking there would have been any negative consequences. She did what any typical Danish mother would.  It shows how progressive Denmark to what a high standard it holds its citizens.            

However, considering it was late at night and her child’s father resided in Brooklyn, it is difficult to comprehend why he did not inform her of local customs.  In the United States, crime is perceived to be lurking behind every corner. Whether this is true or not, many people are under the assumption that something bad will always happen.  We are immersed in a culture where mass media fixates on the horrifying deeds residents here commit.  It is not farfetched to think that some of the few people who contacted the police in regard to this child being left outside, seemingly unattended, honestly believed they were preventing something unimaginable from happening.   

Gordon, Stephen J., M.D. "The New York Times." The New York Times. The New York Times,               20 May 1997. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.  <http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/20/opinion/keeping-baby-outside.html?ref=annettesorensen>.

Haberman, Clyde. “NYC; Let It Snow, And Put Out The Baby.” The New York Times. The New            York Times, 14 Dec. 1999. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.    <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/14/nyregion/nyc-let-it-snow-and-put-out-the-baby.html?ref=annettesorensen>.

Rohde, David. "Court Ruling Favors 2 Who Left Baby Outside." The New York Times. The New             York Times, 23 July 1999. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.     <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/23/nyregion/court-ruling-favors-2-who-left-baby-outside.html?ref=annettesorensen>.