Certain individual’s views on society and different cultures
can be quite perplexing and ethnocentric at times. It is often that a person
will think their way of life is vastly superior to others, without truly
thinking about these assumptions. A prime example of this is the colonial
people during their period of great conquests through out the world. This leads me directly into a brilliant
series I watched the other day. It was a documentary series titled First Australians. It was a seven part series
that chronicled the birth of the nation that we now call Australia and how its
indigenous population was forever impacted by the arrival of the British
colonists. The British arrived in Australia as explorers seeking new land, and
wound up intruding on the Aborigines ancient culture that had been in place for
thousand of years. They stole their land, killed many through disease and war,
and made them second-class citizens in their own country. This is a scene that
has played out countless times through out human history, and is one based in
ignorance and ethnocentrism. A professor who was interviewed in the series made
an incredible point when he noted that while Europeans were dwelling in caves,
the Aborigines had developed an advanced system of beliefs and customs that
governed their lives. Mind you, this was thousands of years before Christianity
or any of the other organized religions that currently dominate the globe. In
spite of this Aborigines were regarded as savages and undeveloped humans who
would eventually die off. This train of thought is absolutely ridiculous and
one based out of sheer ignorance. The Aborigines are one of the oldest
civilizations in human history and they would have lived on with, or without
the intrusion of the British colonists. I could go on and on about this, but I
might as well just get to the point. The point is that ones culture, no matter
what it looks like, cannot be judged through a subjective lens and everyone
outside of said culture is subjective. You can never say that another societies
culture is better or worse then yours because you will never be able to rid
yourself of biases and simultaneously immerse yourself fully in this other
culture. In the most basic sense of this argument, if a culture allows for the
continuation of its people then it serves its purpose and you as an outsider
have no grounds to judge it. For every benefit you think your culture provides
you with, there is a criticism that can be leveled upon it from another
culture. EVERYTHING is relative. So in one persons mind Aborigines may be
savages and sub-human, while in another persons mind they are a vibrant and
storied people. Humans will always be different, but differences cannot always
simply be judged as better or worse. All in all, just always remember to keep
an open mind and don’t be an asshole. Try to think outside of your culture when
observing others.
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roguearistocrat.blogspot.com
