What ethnocentric beliefs might individuals have about other kinds of animals (i.e., language and the ability to communicate, emotions and the ability to feel, etc.)?

Go to the following web site: koko.org/index.php. Click on KoKo’s World and learn more about gorillas and sign language. The Gorilla foundation offers a look at the sign language used by 400+ pound gorillas named KoKo, Ndume, and Michael. Follow various links at the site (including the “Communication” tab near the top of the home page) to watch Koko, Ndume, and Michael interact and communicate with others. After you have observed them, respond to the following questions:

Our text notes that culture includes language and gestures, customs and rituals, music preferences and child rearing practices. It includes basic beliefs and assumptions about the world and the way things work, and it defines the moral parameters of what is right and wrong, good and bad (p71). Based on these characteristics, do Koko, Ndume, and Michael’s actions reflect culture? Explain.

Our text discusses ethnocentrism, the belief that our culture is “correct” along with the tendency of individuals to judge other cultures as “off-center” or even abnormal (p.72). Consider, for example, your reactions to cultures in which individuals eat roasted insects. Nevertheless, in spite of significant differences, these cultures are all populated by human beings. Think now about Koko, Ndume, and Michael—could ethnocentrism apply to an individual’s recognition, let alone acceptance, of the idea of culture for them? Explain.

What ethnocentric beliefs might individuals have about other kinds of animals (i.e., language and the ability to communicate, emotions and the ability to feel, etc.)? How might such ethnocentric beliefs prevent individuals from being aware of cultural contexts besides their own?

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