Эссе на тему: "Thoughtful people may be reluctant to criticize other cultures"

Since the days of childhood we have been wearing a particular kind of glasses that were put on us by the people around us and that help us see the world the way they see it. Those glasses are called culture. There are numerous models with different lenses and rims. Put one pair on, then another one – every time the world looks a little different: sometimes fairly dark, sometimes naive pink. There is no such thing as the best pair of glasses. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Putting allegory aside, there are neither superior cultures nor second-rate cultures. They all are equal. Since there is no right or wrong in this field, one has no ruler to measure cultural diversity with. Hence one has simply no right to criticize other cultures.
However, there are people who ethnocentrically consider other cultures’ cuisine as something disgusting: it is atrocious, they say, to eat meat from guinea pigs or horses. But do they ever question killing a chicken or a pig for food? The answer is negative. These people use their own cultural patterns as a benchmark and criticize other culture based on how it compares to theirs. I was lucky to get acquainted with a young woman who professes Hinduism. And Hindus are known for their deep respect for cows. I was very pleased to notice that Kate (that is the woman’s name) refrains from criticizing people for eating what she holds as sacred (although it must tear her heart apart to see such things) and never tries to convince anybody that they are going down the “wrong” path.
People like Kate are rare. They do not judge a culture through the glasses of their own culture but assess it (or at least try to assess) by its own standards which is called cultural relativism. I cannot call it an easy task as in this case one needs to have an open mind and a willingness to consider, and even adapt to, foreign values and norms. I have heard a story once about a German day-care center where there are young children not only from Germany but from many other countries. One day two girls were having an argument with each other. One of the girls had emigrated with her family from Brazil (let us call her Adriana), another one, say, Claudia, was German. Adriana started to cry and hit and kick in Claudia’s direction and, finally, ran out of the room sobbing. The educators watching the tantrum discussed it later with each other and one of them said that Brazilians, unlike Germans, are this temperamental and impulsive. The speaker’s mistake was that she relied on prejudice and stereotypes and, as a result, made little Adriana a stranger, a passive “culture-bearer”. Instead of criticism and a condescending, superior attitude, a thoughtful and experienced educator would have given each and every child a sense of belonging, be it a Chinese boy or a girl or an Italian one.
By avoiding criticism thoughtful and far-sighted people may avoid inevitable conflicts and save their reputation. In 2013, Chinese customers expressed their dissatisfaction with Apple’s one-year warranty (whereas Chinese law requires providing two-year guarantees). The public outcry was supported even by the local largest state-run TV network. Then why are Apple products still so popular in China? Because the company skillfully overcomes cultural barriers, manages the differences, and, like a phoenix, rises from the ashes. They handled criticism with grace: instead of returning criticism to the critics, CEO Tim Cook apologized for the inconvenience (apologies are a very Chinese thing to do) and ordered an additional year of warranty extension.
I may not be the expert but I think that, firstly, a thoughtful person would never use the concept of culture without questioning it. Secondly, such person understands that from time to time it is helpful to take the glasses of culture off and stop being ethnocentric. Lastly, it seems to me hardly fair to criticize anything whereas there are no universally recognized standards in the matter. Each culture is unique and needed and must never be suppressed by other cultures or their representatives.