Essay: Cultural Diversity, Contempt, Belonging, and Identity

This essay examines the complex relationship between cultural diversity and the potential for contempt, drawing on the works of Jamaica Kincaid and Zora Neale Hurston. It explores the idea that humans may struggle to appreciate cultures different from their own, with the essay analyzing how this can manifest in the treatment of tourists and immigrants. The author hypothesizes that cultural diversity can breed contempt due to a lack of tolerance, while a sense of belonging can mitigate this. The essay contrasts the experiences of tourists and immigrants, highlighting the commercial aspects of tourism and the challenges faced by immigrants, especially during times of crisis. The conclusion reiterates the hypothesis and suggests that the failure to find substantial reasons behind the contempt caused by cultural diversity validates the initial hypothesis. The essay emphasizes the importance of belonging and understanding in fostering positive intercultural relations, and it references the works of Kincaid and Hurston to support its arguments.

Cultural diversity breeds contempt
Jamaica Kincaid in her essay “ Ugly Tourist” raises some valid points about the acceptance of an
individual in an alien culture. Her observations related to the treatments of tourists in various
countries indicate a carnal human tendency which prompts humans to decline any behavior or
culture which is different from their own culture (Kincaid, 1988). Zora Neale in his lecture
“Another Country” raises the same point, however, from a political perspective. This essay
depicts the ironies of the immigrants that surface during the time of crisis (Neale, 2011). Both
these articles share a common ground that can be studied under a hypothesis that goes as under.
Cultural diversity breeds contempt because as a human being we are not tolerant enough to
appreciate the culture, values, and practices of other cultures. The equations of power and
superiority play no role in the development of this contempt. On the other hand, the development
of belongingness with the land can mitigate this contempt.
There are many countries and cultures in this world where hospitality or greeting tourists as the
guest have a religious value. Eastern world countries like India and Japan set poignant examples
of this practice. The religious books in Japan and India suggest that an individual should treat his
guests as if he is serving God or the most important person on the earth. The observations
presented by Jamaica in her essay presents an exactly opposite picture. We should not forget the
fact that every tourist is a commercial prospect for any given country. If the accounts presented
by Jamaica are true then, in this case, it is very clear that hosts of the services in her country does
not respect tourist by their heart, it is a commercial compulsion for them to greet them and stay
polite with them.

The account of disaster management, the status of the individuals during the phase of disaster
and the general outlook of the individuals about the immigrants indicate that immigrants of the
USA often faces a rough treatment from the side of authorities during a tough time. The subtle
undertones of this article also emphasize the grudges of the local people. One such grudge is
associated with the fact that as an immigrant a person enjoys patronage in multiple countries.
Conclusion
Both the authors failed in producing any substantial reasons behind this contempt caused by
cultural diversity. This failure automatically indicates the correctness of the hypothesis that we
have made.
For instance, in the case of tourists, we cannot say that it is a case of jealousness. A tourist
spends money in any given country and supports the economy in his way. He holds the status of
a king because he is a customer; still, he is an ugly tourist. It’s the same with the immigrant
citizens, the text of the essay “Another Country” states that citizens living in the powerful
countries of the world expect more from their governments. Immigrants, on the other hand,
belongs to some countries where the welfare of the citizen is not the primary concern of the
government. Even then the local citizen often finds immigrants as inferior citizens of the country,
the author Zora Neale testifies in her article that she introduces herself as an American because
she feels the pain and challenges that this country is facing, she feels belongingness with the
country and this belongingness mitigates her contempt.

References
Another Country. (2011). The immigrant artist at work Tomi Morrison, 112-113.
Kincaid, J. (1988). The Ugly Tourist. Selina, 199-200.