I absolutely loved the article “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism.” I enjoy learning about other cultures and I find it frustrating when people condemn them simply because they are different from our own and what we have always known. It is almost as if we as a culture consider our society as superior to all other cultures. Imagine how much more peaceful our world could be, though, if we all respected other cultures and societies and appreciated them for the diversity they provide.
In Things Fall Apart, a Christian ministry leader, James Smith, does exactly what irritates me the most in this type of situation. When observing Okonkwo’s tribe, he looks down on it, believing that their customs and way of life are primitive and inferior to his own. He even goes as far as to force his religion onto the people, replacing their own religious traditions with a strict demand to follow Christianity. Why could he not allow them to continue their own cultural customs as they had been long before he even came to their tribe? It is not as if their culture had any effect on him. Both James Smith and the Igbo people could have lived peacefully if he had just respected and appreciated their culture and the differences it had compared to his own.
I’ve noticed similar behavior recently with the controversy over the new TLC reality show, “All-American Muslim.” This show is just trying to show the American public what it is like being a Muslim and being part of the Muslim culture by following and interviewing several Muslims throughout their everyday lives. And actually, if people would watch the show, they would find that the Muslim culture is not very different from the culture most of us know. Besides their religion, they live lives just like most Americans; they have jobs as doctors, teachers, and sports coaches, they get married, they have children, they watch television. However, because of assumptions and stereotypes many people associate with the Muslim culture, many have already criticized the show and TLC for disrespecting victims of the tragic events of September 11th. The home improvement store Lowe’s has even gone as far as to have their commercials removed from the time slot during which “All-American Muslim” is being aired. But this is exactly the problem. If people would stop the criticism for just a moment and watch the show, they would realize that these Muslims do not at all share the views of those who attacked our country. They actually feel the same way the rest of America
In my dream world, everyone has respect for each other despite differences in culture, religion, or beliefs. However, it seems that this will have to remain only a dream for now.
