Yes, you heard
correctly, ethnocentrism.
That word has been rolling around in my head a lot lately, because of the
current crisis and issue our country has been having with what to do with the
Syrian refugees.
You see, According to Ben Winsor of the Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/the-countries-taking-syrias-refugees-2014-9 Outside
of Syria’s neighboring countries, Germany leads the way in accepting
refugees. The United States and Canada are at the bottom of the list in
number of refugees accepted into our countries. Although I understand the
inherent fear that non-European countries have of taking in refugees due to
historical and present threats to the West. The fact is however, America
has very high-tech ways of vetting people who want to enter our country. I wish
I could say that it is simple lack of technology and resources that is keeping
us from accepting refugees. But I believe it is fear, not lack of
technology that is keeping us back.
And this is where
ethnocentrism comes in. I
first realized there was an official name for the belief that one’s race is
better than others, just a few years ago. According to Dictionary.com, the
definition of ethnocentrism is ‘...the belief in the inherent superiority of
one's own ethnic group or culture. 2. a tendency to view alien groups or
cultures from the perspective of one's own.’ To be fair, I believe every
race and culture, including the Syrians, probably feels the same way; to
varying degrees. It is normal to feel pride in your heritage. This is why
in America we have Black History month, Hispanic Heritage month, and St.
Patrick’s Day, to name a few. People like to represent their heritage by
hanging miniature flags in their vehicle’s rear view mirror. We like to visit
‘the old country’ every once in a while, and we like to cook and eat the foods
of that old country.
But on the other end of the spectrum, because every issue has a spectrum; are the
people who will kill to keep their status quo. They believe in the separation of races. They
do not believe there should be ‘race-mixing’ of any kind. These people
distribute propaganda during their secret meetings, online on their websites,
and via public protest. The key question though, is where we all
fall in that spectrum. Where do the people running for the office of
president of the United States fall on the spectrum? Where do voters fall on
the spectrum? Where does the ‘average American’ fall on the spectrum? Where do
you fall on the spectrum?
I don’t know what the
right answer is when it comes to
accepting, not accepting, how many to accept, of the Syrian refugees. What I do
know, is that these people are human beings. They are babies, children, young
adults, and the elderly. Some of them are ill, and getting worse by the
minute. Many are dying from illnesses brought on by the long walks they
take daily, and by exposure to the elements.
All happening while we
sit in the comfort of our
homes listening to the talking heads and presidential candidates who have been
given a national and international platform. Some of them using that platform
to disseminate fear. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in national security, I’m
all for it, because I NEVER want to wake up to a war zone in my homeland. I
love America and all that she stands for. But I can also tell you that I
believe we should eliminate emotion which includes fear, and when we do that,
we will find a solution. Because as human beings sharing the planet with each
other, we cannot look the other way. We have to do something. And of
course doing nothing is doing something. What do you think?
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