Cultural relativism in the peace core
             The Peace Corps is an organization that was created forty years ago by President Kennedy. His primary intention was two-fold; first, he envisioned giving the citizens of the United States an opportunity to serve their country by promoting peace around the world without having to serve in the military. And second, he hoped to prevent a collective ignorance among diplomats concerning other countries, in hope of making our foreign policy, and services, more effective. Cultural Relativism, or trying to understand a culture by viewing the elements involved in it, without judging them to be lesser or greater than our own, is an essential tool when volunteering in the Peace Corps. This approach guides people to assess cultures without bias and helps to prevent many stereotypes and prejudices. The Peace Corps has proven to be an effective instrument in breaking down discrimination and labeling among Americans by accepting, and embracing other cultures.
             The Peace Corps held a forum in late October, with several return volunteers from the program, to speak about some of their experiences. One of the goals of the Peace Corps is to teach fellow Americans about people of other cultures in the hope of increasing awareness of the world around us and in turn reduce ignorance of diverse cultures. Dennis explained the foundation of the Peace Corps and introduced Cherona, who volunteered in Senegal, and Marilyn who served in Uzbekistan. Together, Cherona and Marilyn shared unique and diverse events they experienced as volunteers in the Peace Corps.
             While volunteering in Senegal, Cherona lived in a village with a native tribe. She had only a very basic knowledge of their language, and, as a result, found their customs very difficult to understand. There were many tendencies of the people of Senegal that remained a great mystery to her until she grasped the language better. Despite her poor language...