Ethnocentric
Ethnocentrism is when one judges another culture by the standards of their own culture (Cherry, 2014). Prejudice is when one has a preconceived opinion for which there is no factual or experiential basis. In this case, the department head is being prejudiced. His decision is based on assumptions that he is making about the friend, in particular that he is lazy. This is a notion about Jamaicans that exists mostly because of impressions people have of their culture, most of which come from entertainment -- the rasta stereotype -- or from people's vacations at the beach.
The point about the accent being difficult to understand might sound like ethnocentrism, but this is more of a smokescreen than a genuine complaint. It is a feeble excuse to rule somebody out of a position for which they are otherwise qualified, and that comes down to prejudice, not a genuine concern over communication -- I doubt someone from Glasgow would get the same excuse even though they are equally incomprehensible. I might tell my friend what I was told -- of course I would pass along this information. He might not be able to do anything about it unless those excuses are in writing, however. I would also escalate this. The senior managers want what is best for the company, which means hiring the most qualified people. When a manager is not doing this, and is in the process exposing the company to legal action under the Civil Rights Act, senior management needs to be aware of this.
I actually do have experiences in this area, with a Jamaican. I had a boss who took essentially this same approach with a Jamaican girl who was the most qualified candidate. The smokescreen that time was that the customers would not respond well to a Jamaican voice on the phone, and it was a phone marketing job. This was probably true, knowing the customer base, and we had other good candidates, so I did nothing. But at the end of the day, that lady did not get a fair shake at the job, and I still remember that incident whenever the subject comes up, because I know the whole thing went down wrong.
References
Cherry, K. (2014). What is ethnocentrism? About.com. Retrieved May 6, 2014 from http://psychology.about.com/od/eindex/fl/What-Is-Ethnocentrism.htm
Ethnocentrism Analysis Paper This paper explores ethnocentrism in all its manifestations, including the stages, i.e., denial, defense, and limiting cultural differences. It also highlights the strategies needed to change an individual into a culturally competent person. Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism refers to an individual's tendency to prioritize their race, culture, or ethnic persuasions and use them as their thinking foundations. Northouse ( 2013, pp. 384) contends that everyone harbors some ethnocentrism in one way or
Additional (86-87) explanations for racism / discrimination: a) the socialization process (if the parents are racists, the child growing up learns to hate certain racial groups); b) economic competition (when security is threatened, prejudice can come into play; Blacks and Czechs in some instances were biased against Vietnamese immigrants because the Vietnamese were supposedly taking jobs away from those already here in the U.S. And in Czechoslovakia). Ossman presents a
" (Monaghan & Just, 2000, p. 49) An extreme example of cultural relativity and the possible moral issues that it might raise, is the practice of female circumcision in many East African societies. From a western cultural perspective, this practice is ethically and morally unacceptable. However, when considered form the vantage point of the societies in question and their specific cultural norms and values, the practice takes on another dimension. It is
Prejudice in Individuals: Prejudice is the rigid irrational attitudes and opinions possessed by individuals or members of a specific group about another individual or group. Consequently, being prejudiced is defined as having preconceived beliefs regarding some people groups or cultural practices. In addition to being preconceived and difficult to change, prejudices can be positive or negative. While is possible to be prejudiced and fail to act upon the beliefs or
Post on Racism and Ethnocentrism in Modern Media A recent television advertisement for Coca-Cola aired for the first time during the Super Bowl. It was intended to be a recognition of multiculturalism and to tie in the product to one of the quintessential American values: namely, the melting-pot element of American society that enabled all of our ancestors to immigrate and begin new lives in the United States in the 19th
Preliminary Research ProposalPurpose of Research ProposalA research proposal is intended to achieve two things: to present why a research problem is to be studied and to state the most viable ways of conducting the study. Research proposals are conducted per the design elements and procedures established as standards in the predominant discipline in which the problem resides. This creates exacting guidelines by which research proposals are developed. These guidelines, while
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now