In my previous article, “Why are Conservatives, Conservative and Progressives, Progressive,” I discuss the foundation of my research paper. In my study, I explore many concepts and theories that help explain the nature of US politics and individualistic political tendencies. One of which I find to be incredibly valuable for today’s current political climate: the theory of ethical relativism.
Ethical relativism argues that the determination of a morally right or a morally wrong action depends upon a general societal consensus that is derived from the moral norms of each individual society. Laws, for example, differ from country to country partly because of this phenomenon. This is critical when evaluating world societies to avoid falling into the trap of ethnocentrism. In mainstream media and the Euro/US-centric education system, individuals are taught about “civilized societies” and “uncivilized societies,” but upon a close analysis devoid of an ethnocentric conscious, one can see that such distinctions are fallacious. Such labels demonstrate that the societal comparison was assessed from the perspective of one’s own society, rather than through the lens of a global citizen.
In my study, one of the philosophical questions I included in my survey asked participants to select one of two statements: “There are civilized societies and uncivilized societies” or “There are no civilized societies and uncivilized societies, but rather a difference of cultures.” 78% of Democrats selected the former statement compared to 54% of Republicans and 58% of politically uninformed individuals. Because my study was conducted within Freeport School District, it was concerning to me that many of our district’s educators fell into the ethnocentric trap. It is important that students are being taught geography, history, and international politics accurately, and not from the US’ rose-colored glasses. We cannot continue to perpetuate the false narrative that the US is the baseline for comparison and that Western ideals are the gold standard.
It is also noteworthy to discuss the stark contrast between Democratic and Republican response patterns. Only 54% of Republicans denounced the idea of civilized societies and uncivilized societies, compared to 78% of Democratic respondents. The age of Donald Trump and his “America First” foreign policy agenda has normalized the idea that criticizing one’s own country is somehow unpatriotic. For example, on the first night of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump Jr. said that Republicans put America first and Democrats criticize America first. Patriotism is not about standing by one’s country blindly and supporting all of its decisions, it is about recognizing flaws and deciding to do something to make the nation better. Oftentimes, this starts with criticizing institutions, policies, and historical mistakes. As the world is becoming increasingly globalized and technologically advanced, it does not make sense to continue perpetuating the idea of American exceptionalism.
White washed history goes hand-in-hand with ethnocentrism. For example, I can remember sitting in my kindergarten class and appropriating Indigenous culture by making headdresses before our “pilgrim and Indian” Thanksgiving feast while singing “Columbus found America in 1492…” It is alarming to me that I not only remember that grossly misinformed tune, but that historically inaccurate events are being taught in order to continue the US tradition of white washing history and evaluating it from the shores of Plymouth Rock. Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “A White Man’s Burden” follows a similar pattern and illustrates this phenomenon perfectly. Kiping justifies British colonization with the notion that the civilized white man had the God-given burden of colonizing the “uncivilized societies” of the world to teach them the “civilized ways” of the white man. He even describes the Indigenous people of these so-called “new lands” as “half devil and half child.”
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting Jane Elliott, the founder of the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Exercise, at her home in rural Iowa. We discussed yet another application of the US-centric education system—maps. The Mercator projection map is the traditional world map used in classrooms across the US, including Freeport. However, the map is distorted so that the US will lie in the middle of the map. North American and Europe are also inflated to appear larger, while Africa, Asia, and South America are deflated to appear smaller (see Greenland for the sharpest contrast). In school, I was taught that the sizes are distorted because the world is globular, so it cannot be accurately projected onto a flat map. However, Peter’s map fixes this issue, so it is no longer justifiable to wrongfully teach children that there is somehow a fixed “middle’ of the Earth and that predominantly white countries and continents are larger than predominantly Black and Brown countries and continents. As these examples demonstrate, and as my study proves, we are still being taught to look at the world from a white man’s perspective.
We cannot continue to pass this racist belief to next generations. We must educate ourselves and evaluate history and the world accurately—not from the US’ perspective, but from the perspective of a global citizen. We cannot continue to write off differing societies as “uncivilized” because their cultural practices differ from the elite class that dictates and controls US society. Not only are such comparisons factually wrong, they also have racist undertones that prevail upon analyzation. As Jane Elliott says, “We hate because we are taught to hate.” Once we stop teaching hate, white washing history, and perpetuating ethnocentrism, the US will be a lot closer to an equal society.
“Farah Tolu-Honary is a graduate of Freeport High School and now studies political science and international relations at Beloit College. Issues most important to her include climate change, income inequality, and foreign affairs.”
