Hubris Is a Terrible Tour Guide

A jaundiced approach toward divergent cultures is to rate them with reference to their own, which, unsurprisingly, is typically viewed as not only the best culture for all people but the only correct cultural expression. It is a form of jingoism with undercurrents and overtones of racism. It is perfectly normal to compare and contrast an unknown entity against a known quantity with the goal of understanding differences. The problem arises when the unknown, such as cultural norms and practices, are judged with a ruler calibrated