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Some leftist liberal nutjob has probably been shouting in your ear since first grade that no one culture is better than another, but rather all cultures are different. The same nutjob probably told you it is wrong to think your culture is better than another, and that you only think it is because of ethnocentricism (the belief that one's culture is better than others). However the cold hard truth that nobody wants to admit is that some cultures are better than others in some ways. For example: Everyone in the world knows that giving women and men equal rights is the culturally better thing to do. This is why you see women's rights all over the world increasing. Even in male dominated societies like Saudi Arabia, women are slowly (very slowly) being given more rights. Up until 2000 women were not even permitted to get Saudi driver's licenses, but now they are. Pakistan is even slowly changing its laws to give women more protection in areas such as rape. Soon if things work out women won't need four male witnesses to report a rape. I could keep on giving out more and more examples but the point of this example is simple. Sexism is wrong, and cultures which promote the poor treatment of individuals based on sex are wrong.
200 years ago North America had a culture which supported slavery. That culture was wrong. Less than 50 years ago America had a culture which treated minorities as less than whites, and supported segregation. That culture was wrong too. So therefore, if cultures can be wrong. It stands to reason that other cultures can be right. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that those cultures which are right, are better than those which are not. The trap that people have a tendency to fall into is when they believe various aspects of culture that have no definitive right or wrong, should be classified as right or wrong. One language can't be right, one religion can't be right, one type of clothing can't be right, one type of food can't be right, however it is when you start believing that it is, that is when you become ethnocentric. BTW: Fried chicken is better than couscous. That's just a fact. |