Ethnocentrism: Part 2

I was thinking about ethnocentrism and needed to think of a positive side, because the negative side was making me feel really melodramatic and pessimistic about the human race collectively ever getting it together. I still have big concerns in that regard, but that is what it means to be human, I guess. We make mistakes. But a positive side of ethnocentrism came to me... beer!

Okay, let me explain. I grew up in southern Minnesota. There is a city of about 15,000 people nearby called New Ulm. Sounds very German, and it is very, very German. The people living there could not be prouder about the colorful, festive side of that German heritage. They have a big, old beer party every October and they call it... what else? Oktoberfest. One of the oldest privately-owned breweries in the United States is there, making Shell's beer. They set up huge tents and have ethnic music, people wearing lederhosen are everywhere, and believe me, you have never seen so many yodelers in one place! As a student of history (and communications, of course), it is impossible for me to forget that Germany also had a very ugly period of nationalist fervor that got so far out of hand that it spawned two world wars and tens of millions of people died. I cannot forget the indelible stain that is part of modern history. But living decades later, I can see that there are parts of German heritage that are fun, colorful, and bring people together for good times. That type of ethnocentrism is a positive thing and worth celebrating.