Friday, March 25, 2011

How does ethnocentricity cause conflict?

The ethnocentric views of the British when colonizing the indigenous of Sydney influenced their judgments towards the natives which eventually led to further conflict. From the first contact, the relationship between the two different sororities were tolerable due to the remarkable friendship that was formed between the commander of the British and the leader of the Aboriginal tribes, Governor Phillip and Bennelong. The British was more advanced in technology and weaponry, as well as in thinking as they're more 'civilized' in their sense of lifestyle. On account of such physical differences, the Aboriginals were looked at as animals, some as vicious creatures who are abnormal as they wear no clothes, exposing the dark skin of the natives. They were all treated as savages, whom barbaric with heinous cultivation. Labeled for living in an 'uncivilized' customs simply in view in the fact that they supposedly lack of development and architecture. While the British thinks this way towards the Aboriginal, in the natives' point of view, everything was vice-versa. They were normal, and it was the British who are not. While the British believed in endeavoring for brawn, the natives stayed faithful to the conventions of their ancestors. However unlike the British, the indigenous people were accepting the whites despite the differences in culture. Although, further along the odyssey, deaths of many people occurred and conflicts become apparent. As written in the book "The Rabbits", the First Fleet arrived by water from England, with more knowledge about the world and could effortlessly take supremacy over the naive and inexperienced First Australians. "Sometimes we had fights". The indigenous people didn't sit there and let the colonization happen, some fought back but with the more modern technology that the British had, they were overpowered. More of Australia were colonized and more English men took cover. They took note that it was certain as they were superior toward the natives and there were no chance for the inferiors to stop them. With great ignorance, they paid no attention and took all the rights of the Aboriginals away. They were almost successful with obliterating any kind of culture that belonged to the natives. And Bennelong was the reason they were vain. They ventured to change him, make him live the way the British lived. Though Bennelong rejected; he returned to his people and lived the habitual ways he used to. Due to this abrupt change of mind, the British concluded that there's no natives are able to be 'civilized'. Because of this biased statement, the reputation of the natives was dissenting. Instead of finalizing with a cordial solution, the British wrathfully clutched at every land they could, replacing crops with their own. They slaughtered many; men, women, children, whoever was to get in the way of the British were killed mercilessly. They continued to tear each other apart, continued to refuse and reject each other. To those who were lucky to be alive were influenced under the addiction of alcohol who was introduced by the British. While they're consumed in drunkenness, it was easier for the British to control them. In the end, all these occurrences led nothing constructive or beneficial toward both cultures. Parents had their children taken away forcefully, family were torn apart. Many had their lives snatched. Both cultures were putting a close end to one another. None of this would have happen if the British weren't set on their ethnocentric minds and viewed the Aboriginal habitual living with mortality. As proven by the history of the Australians, many conflicts can be caused by ethnocentricity.

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