The more we talk about culture, the more complicated it gets. I mean come on, how many different aspects of culture can we discuss? We have talked about the social institutions, cultural evolution, agents of socialization, and cultural universals, but each of these parts make up only a small part of the word culture. Not only that but each of these concepts can be broken down into many different parts and discussed and argued. I now understand why people can spend their entire lives studying culture and how it works. Basirico and Bolin do a great job simplifying culture and I agree with and choose to look at culture as a web. Each different characteristic of a culture wrapped around one another forming a giant ball, too complicated to fully understand. Not understanding cultures is seen as a giant negative, and also known as ethnocentrism. After being in Costa Rica for over two months I have seen myself grow and develop a lot and start critically thinking about how I see the people andculture here. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for one to not be ethnocentric, and that having ethnocentric thoughts can help you learn and notice more about a culture. Of course, being overly and rudely ethnocentric has drastic consequences, but intercultural communication breaks down the negative ethnocentrism and leads to the questioning of norms, memes, and behaviors and thus, deeper understanding.
On my first day, immediately after getting into the taxi en route to Robin´s hotel, I started having ethnocentric thoughts. “Why are there giant fences with barbed wire?” “Tin houses, really?” “Holy shit, the taxi driver almost hit that man!” At the time I did not realize that I was being ethnocentric but I sure was and if anyone on this trip can say they did not have ethnocentric thoughts upon arriving in Costa Rica, they are lying. Leaving home and traveling to a foreign country should be fun and exciting, but a comparison between home and abroad is natural. The first few weeks in Costa Rica were sheltered. I talked to my peers in ISA and my Tica mom about very bland and boring things. I was still going through culture shock. As the culture shock wore off, I started noticing that my thoughts about Costa Rica were switching from comparison, to wonderment. Having ethnocentric thoughts is inevitable, but the fact that mine were so blatant and comparative was holding me back. I now breakethnocentrism into two parts judgmental/comparison and questioning/wonderment and understand why judgmental ethnocentrism is so restrictive and why questioning ethnocentrism can be beneficial.
In the third week of my trip, my Spanish class spent an entire morning talking about the United States and Costa Rica. My teacher probably should have been teaching us the imperfect tense but she was amazed at some of the things we were saying about American culture. I noticed that she was not judging but just taking the information in and analyzing it. This is when my thinking completely changed from judgmental to questioning. I could not put my finger on what I was feeling until we discussed ethnocentrism in class. I then realized that not only was the questioning benefitting my understanding of Costa Rican culture, but that some ethnocentrism is needed. Craig Storti explains what I am saying perfectly in his article, “The Argument for Ethnocentrism”.
“Being culturally sensitive has very little to do with liking or accepting the strange behaviors of people from other cultures; it means acknowledging that we’re all strange depending on the context. Cultural differences and the judgments they provoke aren’t the problem; the problem is to deny culture, which is just what you do when you ask people not to judge.” (Sorti)
In other words, when people try to accept everything about another culture it is pointless. You have to be willing to accept the fact that you are going to find things weird and will learn most when you question cultural differences. What my Spanish teacher was doing was opening lines of intercultural communication. Whether she realized it or not, we were all learning about a culture in one of the most beneficial ways researched today. Intercultural communication is proven to help eliminate negative ethnocentrism. (Dong) While some argue that all ethnocentrism is bad, I think intercultural communication eliminates judgmental ethnocentrism and endorses questioning and a deeper understanding of a society’s culture. When I open a dialogue about gay people with my Tica mom, I know I do not like what she is going to say because I am pro-gay rights. However, I listen to what she says, not with a judgemental tone, but with wonderment. It is better to try and understand through questioningthan judge whether I agree or not. Opening those lines of cultural communication are key to understanding a foreign culture.
After coming to the conclusion that I am happy with some of my ethnocentric thoughts, I come back to the web of culture. Where people make a mistake is trying to dig to the center of the rubber band ball. One rubber band is too complicated for a person to understand, let alone the thousands that make up a ball. Each rubber band is a part of a culture and there are millions of parts. We can analyze one rubber band for hours. Getting to the center seems like the most comfortable. In life, being surrounded by people and comprehending everything you see feels normal. Trying to fit deep into a society feels comfortable. With foreign cultures this is too complicated. It is not about tolerance or total understanding, it is about learning through questioning. I realize now that I myself am a rubber band to the Costa Rican rubber band ball. Foreigners are an intrical part of any soceity. I have the choice to stay on the outside silently, try to dig in, or observe from where I am and begin tonaturally slip into the ball. I must try to observe and learn as much as I can and for now I belong right on the outside, questioning what I see and trying to better my understanding of Costa Rican culture even if it comes with some ethnocentric thoughts.
Works Cited
Dong, Qingwen, Kenneth D. Day, and Christine M. Collaco. “Overcoming Ethnocentrism through Developing Intercultural Communication Sensitivity and Multiculturalism.” Human Communication11.1 (2001): 27-38. Web.
Sorti, Craig. “The Argument for Ethnocentrism.” Diversity Journal. Diversity Journal, 5 June 2012. Web. 06 May 2014.
Basirico, Larry and Anne Bolin. “The Joy of Culture.” The Joy of Culture: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding and Appreciating Cultural Diversity. New Jersey. Pearson, 2009. 1-34. Print.
Arcaro, Tom. “Ethnocentrism.” GST 336. ISA, Zapote, San José, Costa Rica. 3 April 2014. Lecture.
Arcaro, Tom. “Aspects of Culture.” GST 336. ISA, Zapote, San José, Costa Rica. 3 April 2014. Lecture.