[quote]nephorm wrote:
Funny, I think that what they are trying to describe used to be called “ethnocentrism.” I suppose that’s too big a word, and not adequately loaded for the effect they’re trying to create.[/quote]
Maybe too many people have heard the word ethnocentrism in college and have grown de-sensitized to it… after all, most college professors are rabid biased liberals and hence it must be much less of an issue than they make it out to be, right?
[quote]nephorm wrote:
At any rate, in terms of ethnocentrism, those are valid indicators; they are common beliefs relating to traditional Western ways of viewing the world, which we tend to take for granted as being generally applicable human standards. [/quote]
Indeed!
With specific regards to their point about bias towards white writers, an example in pop-culture (for what it’s worth…):
Grey’s Anatomy is a pretty successful TV series (interestingly enough, it’s set in Seattle), and a lot of people I’ve met watch it. I tend to talk about it frequently mostly because one of my closest friends works as a consultant for the series.
The expression and reaction of people when they are told – or realize – that the series’ creator and showrunner is a black woman is very telling; usually their reaction is not only of surprise (which in itself shows ethnocentrism) but also many of them will respond with asinine comments like “AH! THAT’s why so many of the doctors on the series are black! I could never get why there were so many of them!”.
I’m sure the casting director begs to differ.
(sarcasm)
The fact that critics claim they are absolutely superb actors is completely irrelevant. I mean, they’re BLACK, for heaven’s sake; most of them are poor and uneducated, and insist on voting Democrat; what are the odds that a mind-boggling three of them can get jobs on their own merit in just one TV series? They’d much rather all live on Social Security handouts that hard-working Americans pay for!
(/sarcasm)
Pathetic.
Another pathetic example:
In the US, the ratio between brunettes that die their hair blonde and blondes who dye their hair dark is about 10,000:1. Same ratio applies for purchase of blue/green contact lenses vs brown/black contact lenses. That is obviously in great part because there are a lot more brunettes than blondes, but there AREN’T 10,000x more brunettes than blondes, so there’s a clear bias there nevertheless.
Then again, rainjack has branded me Euro-centric, so I may be biased towards brunettes since there are almost no blonde women in Europe. Blondes all came originally from the US, right?
Oh, no, wait…