Don’t misunderstand me. The terrorist actions of Al-Qaeda were and are unmitigatedly evil. But the astonishing naivety which decreed that America as a whole was a pure, innocent victim, so that the world could be neatly divided up into evil people (particularly Arabs) and good people (particularly Americans and Israelis), and that the latter had a responsibility now to punish the former, is a large-scale example of what I’m talking about - just as it is immature and naive to suggest the mirror image of this view, namely that the western world is guilty in all respects and that all protestors and terrorists are therefore completely justified in what they do. In the same way, to suggest that all who possess guns should be locked up, or (the American mirror-image of this view) that everyone should carry guns so that good people can shoot bad ones before they can get up to their tricks, is simply a failure to think into the depths of what’s going on.

~ N.t. Wright

N.t. Wright Ethnocentrism Evil God Justice Theology

Many a survivor of a plane crash who is or was against cannibalism and had never eaten human flesh once found themselves in a situation where they had to either eat human flesh, or go the way of all flesh.

~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Mokokoma Mokhonoana Adage Adages Africa African Against Aphorism Aphorisms Axiom Axioms Cannibal Cannibalism Cannibals Crashes Cultural Conditioning Culture Dead Death Deep Dictum Dictums Die Died Dying Epigram Epigrams Ethnocentric Ethnocentrism Evaluate Evaluation Funny Gnome Gnomes Human Flesh Humor Humorous Humour Immoral Immortal Immortality Insightful Instinct Instincts Judge Judgement Made Me Think Make You Think Maxim Maxims Morals Mortal Mortality Philosopher Plane Plane Crash Planes Profound Proverb Proverbs Provoke Thought Quotation Quotations Quote Quote Of The Day Quotes Satire Satirical Satirist Satirists Saying Sayings Self Preservation South Africa South African Standards Survival Survive Survivor Survivors Thought Provoking Thoughtful

Every new generation believes its own period to be absolutely superior intellectually - greater than all past cultures yet equal among its modern cultures.

~ Criss Jami

Criss Jami Advancement Chronological Snobbery Conservatives Culture Ego Egocentrism Era Ethnocentrism Generation Humility Intelligence Liberals Modern Past Period Present Pride Progressives Spirit Of The Age Superiority Technology

Instead of the former divinely appointed aims of the Jewish, Greek, or Roman nations, which ancient historians regarded as representing the progress of humanity, modern history has postulated its own aims- the welfare of the French, German, or English people, or, in its highest abstraction, the welfare and civilization of humanity in general, by which is usually meant that of the peoples occupying a small northwesterly portion of a large continent.

~ Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy Civilization Ethnocentrism History Humanity Society

The more we claim to discriminate between cultures and customs as good and bad, the more completely do we identify ourselves with those we would condemn. By refusing to consider as human those who seem to us to be the most “savage” or “barbarous” of their representatives, we merely adopt one of their own characteristic attitudes. The barbarian is, first and foremost, the man who believes in barbarism.

~ Claude Lévi-Strauss

Claude Lévi-Strauss Anthropology Barbarian Barbarism Cultural Differences Cultural Relativism Culture Ethnocentrism Savage Savagery

But what is identity really? What is it to ‘belong’ when we cast ourselves in the mold of a social group? I ask this, in spite of my implicit allegiance to one; yet, it is a worthwhile question. I mean, really, what does it even mean to share a commonality of blood or language or religion or heritage or context or economy or trade—and what value does this sharing of common traits, values and experiences truly have when there exists already a larger model of connection and commonality enveloping these disparate identities whole...? Do we pout at our inadequacies in the face of a “something” that is slightly more heterogeneous in its model of belonging? Sometimes, we simply must let go and chalk up all these movements to an inveterate (and arbitrary) sense of pride.

~ Ashim Shanker

Ashim Shanker Belonging Cultural Diversity Cultural Insecurity Cultural Relativism Egocentrism Ethnocentrism Human Arrogance Human Connection Identity Phenomenological Existentialism Political Correctness

Saying something is 'politically correct' is often a way of dismissing the voices of the oppressed.

~ Dashanne Stokes

Dashanne Stokes Biased Biased Opinion Biases Dismissal Ethnocentricity Ethnocentrism Homophobia Lgbt Lgbt Quotes Lgbt Rights Lgbtq Marginalization Oppressed Oppression Oppression Quotes Political Correctness Politically Correct Politically Correct Culture Politically Incorrect Prejudice Prejudices Racism Racism And Culture Racism In America Racism Quote Racism Quotes Silencing Silencing Dissent

Insularity is the foundation of ethnocentrism and intolerance; when you only know of those like yourself, it is easy to imagine that you are alone in the world or alone in being good and right in the world. Exposure to diversity, on the contrary, is the basis for relativism and tolerance; when you are forced to face and accept the Other as real, unavoidable, and ultimately valuable, you cannot help but see yourself and your 'truths' in a new - and trouble - way.

~ Jack David Eller

Jack David Eller Ethnocentrism Intolerance Relativism Tolerance