Ethnocentrism is a complicated topic. It's when one person believes they are better than another person, when in reality they are both human beings, which means no one is better than anyone else. This belief is what creates a hostile environment in our country because many people believe they can do things because they are "better" than the person next to them, when in reality we are equal, or we should all be equal. If someone is walking down the street and sees a homeless person, the first thing someone usually thinks is that he is disgusting, they don't think to go up to him and ask him if he wants to go get some food. This is an example of ethnocentrism because the person walking thinks they are superior to the homeless person. When in reality they both have the same rights in this world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Cultural relativism is exactly the opposite. This is the belief that everyone should accept every culture, whether they believe what you believe or not. People should accept every culture because everyone is different. Not everyone will believe that ghosts are real, but that shouldn't make them treat you differently than someone who doesn't believe ghosts are real. Cultural relativism represents the good of the world. It allows everyone to be accepted and feel good about believing what they believe, which is what should happen. If cultural relativism did not exist, our world would be scary, because we would live in a world separated into groups, and these groups would never mix. How is this a way of life? It's not. In this case we are talking about ethnocentrism. Americans believed that Vanya Kalensen and Nils Wardlaw were wrong, because they themselves would never do it, which suggests that American parents believed they were better than Danish parents. An American would consider leaving your child outside as child abuse, something they would never dare do. So when they see a child outside, alone, it's alarming. American parents would believe that these parents should go to prison, because they themselves would never do so. But in the end these parents had their child taken away for doing something they do every day in their home country. Something that is absolutely fine to do but, because American parents thought they were superior to them and what they were doing was wrong, they ultimately lost their child. But it could also be interpreted as Danish parents thinking they are better than Americans because they are doing the next best thing by not taking their child to a dirty, germ-filled restaurant. But no one sees it this way because they automatically think that Americans are right in this scenario, which represents ethnocentrism. In this case cultural relativism is also presented. Vanya Kalensen and Nils Wardlaw were doing exactly what they would have done with their child in Denmark. Everyone in Denmark leaves their children out in the cold, because they believe it's better for them. But in America that same action is considered child abuse. Vanya and Nils believed that America would use cultural relativism and agree with what they were doing even if they didn't agree, because everyone lives their life differently, but that doesn't mean one should be punished for living it that way. But what they realized was that they weren't being given that respect. Instead they were judged and punished for their actions even though in another culture that action is completely normal. But the Americans didn't care, which is.