In the Twelve Years of Slavery film, the concept of ethnocentrism is evident, as the story revolves around white slave owners who consider their culture and race superior. In one scene, the lead actor, Solomon Northup offers a better idea of transporting logs. Solomon Northup gives a detailed educated analysis of how the distance between the work area and the logs needed to be reduced by transporting the logs through the river. According to Northup, “the expenses of transportation would be materially diminished”.
However, the analysis does not go well with one of his white masters, who seem irritated by the fact that Northup is a nigger yet he gives a superior idea. The master feels disrespected that a nigger can have the audacity to tell them what to do. He responds by asking, “Are you an engineer or a nigger?” (YouTube, 2016, 3.55). This question shows ethnocentrism where the white irritated white masters who consider his opinion and attitude superior compared to consider Northup’s just because the latter is black.
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The concept of ethnocentrisms becomes more evident when Northup goes ahead and explain how his idea had worked before. When white master claims that the passes are too tight, Northup gives actual measurement and confidently states that pass is wide enough to allow a team of niggers to execute the plan (YouTube, 2016, 4.20). The manner in which the second master pays attention and agrees with Northup’s idea shows that indeed his suggestion was superior. Therefore, this scene presents an excellent platform for understanding how ethnocentrism plays out in real life situations. Evidently, individuals will always go an extra mile to show that their ideas and views are superior although it is not always the case.
References
YouTube. (2016, July 23). Benedict Cumberbatch Scenes in 12 Years a Slave. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRR4c97NXbA
