Viewpoint: We can — and should — strive to understand other cultures
Ethnocentricity should not always be problematic. Hollywood has excelled in spreading American values around the globe. So has Silicon Valley, as a technological leader of the world. In those cases, it's perfectly normal for people to feel superiority and exceptionalism.
On the other hand, when a society becomes ethnocentric due to a lack of exposure to foreign cultures, then it becomes problematic, incurring collective mistrust, prejudice and even hostility toward others.
I write this as someone who was sent to a re-education camp during China’s Cultural Revolution and has experienced firsthand the social polarization between the East and the West. I believe the two cultures can — and should — strive to understand and complement each other rather than stand in opposition.
No one disputes the general principle of freedom of speech. Most countries accept the U.N.'s standard of freedom of speech as a universal human right. But many of these countries are subject to different, and often more extreme, limitations than the U.S.
In an ideal world, well-informed citizens — and media outlets — should realize other countries have different cultures, traditions and histories, all of which have shaped each country and its people. I believe we can make that ideal world a reality through collective efforts. Here is one case to exemplify the point.
On Nov. 11, 2005, the controversial British historian David Irving was arrested while on his way to lecture in Vienna under laws against the denial of the Holocaust. Previously, the right-wing historian had given lectures in Austria about his book, which claimed Adolf Hitler had known nothing of the Holocaust, and that there had been no gas chambers at the Auschwitz camp. This led to a warrant for his arrest when he returned to the country to give a similar lecture.
Technically, out of context on the media, David Irving got arrested for a thought crime — the lecture he was about to give did not even happen. During a broadcast interview, one American critic responded that Austria was no better than Russia or North Korea in handling this case. He may have represented many others, including the media, who think this way: Austria's authority had outrageously violated America's most fundamental value, the freedom of speech.
But what if it were your loved ones who had experienced the gas chambers during World War II? Furthermore, should we acknowledge that Austria, and many other countries, may be different than ours in many ways? Denying the Holocaust happens to be one of those restrictions in Austria. For that, Irving was sentenced to three years in prison. For a similar reason, he was barred from entering Germany.
Most critics who echo the literal analogy between Austria and North Korea or Russia may have never lived in Austria and never considered it necessary when making such a direct comparison. It shouldn't be a surprise for the public to unknowingly apply what is known as heuristic — making quick and generalized conclusions without having all the relevant information. Should the mainstream media and academics be held to a higher standard?
While globalization has unprecedentedly increased the movement of technologies and goods, it has not done the same for raising intercultural awareness in America. Should the press and intellectuals have a moral obligation to advocate for a broad-minded society? To inform and educate the public as the Fourth Estate in American democracy?
Cheng Wang spent the past academic year on the University of Notre Dame campus as a fellow in the Inspired Leadership Initiative. He is the author of "From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of an 'Educated Youth.'" He lives in North Carolina, where he retired after a successful tech career.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Cheng Wang, survivor of China's Cultural Revolution, on ethnocentricity
