I always appreciate experiences that test my judgment of others, unravel stereotypes, and check my unexamined biases. Such an opportunity came in the week before Thanksgiving during a business trip to Miami Beach.

It was an unusual and special trip for my husband and me in several ways. For one, it was the longest we had ever been away from our kids, at least when we were the ones going away. They’d been to weeklong sleepaway camps while we stayed home and worked. But this time, we were on the beach while they were in school. Very new! Also, our teenagers were old enough and responsible enough to stay home alone. Though it pulled at my invisible but always present umbilical cord, it was kind of cool for all of us. 

It also turned out that with my husband the client and guest speaker at the conference, we were wined and dined in pretty high style. Our hosts had reserved for us a junior suite with a balcony and an ocean view. They took us to remarkable dinners at iconic restaurants with white tablecloths. At Joe’s Stone Crab, all the waiters wore tuxedos. Breakfasts buffets at the hotel were included, as was a fabulous culinary tour of Little Havana. I fell in love with that neighborhood!

The host group at the conference were from just about every state in the United States, and we met many smart, down-to-earth, fun, caring people.

The experience shed light and perspective on my own ethnocentricity.

The Greek word ethnos means "nation" or "people." 

The term ethnocentricity originated by William Sumner (October 30, 1840 – April 12, 1910), a classical liberal American social scientist, refers to a belief that your culture or ethnic group is superior to another's.

Ethnocentric individuals are biased in that they draw conclusions about other cultural groups based on their own cultural values, norms, and traditions. Your own nation or group is the cultural center of the world. Ethnocentric individuals use their own ethnic groups as the standard by which they judge other cultures.

All cultural groups have some degree of ethnocentricity, as it is necessary for the group to exist. This is because ethnocentricity promotes cohesion in groups, community pride, and group identification. 

On the other hand, ethnocentricity can prevent individuals from truly understanding other cultures. We make incorrect assumptions about others. Ethnocentricity can contribute to racism, stereotypes, and prejudice. 

Especially in recent times with the divide of our nation, there has been a more than normal amount of viewing particular types or groups of people as “other.” 

It was thus refreshing, humbling and, quite frankly, a great relief to meet people I really liked from Alabama, Montana, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, Florida and other states as well. And every once in a while, someone would reveal their ethnocentric view of Californians and particularly our wonderful little city with the bad reputation, Oakland. 

We found a wide variety of local cultures in Miami too, from Little Havana to the Art Deco area of Miami Beach to Edgewater and Brickell neighborhoods.

Our host group represented law firms, and it was equally refreshing when, over one dinner, the conversation turned to politics, and though there were different allegiances and points-of-view, nobody got mean or interrupted each other. Our tablemates listened to each other and spoke with some passion and persuasion about their beliefs, but no one was belittled. It was disagreement with respect. It was awesome! And we all continued to have a good time together even afterwards. 

I came home jubilant about all this, reminded that there are good people everywhere. And a heck of a lot more well-meaning people than mean people in this world. It was, as I said, refreshing.

And the hot tubbing and beach time weren’t bad either!