How does ethnocentricity cause conflict?

Ethnocentricity causes conflict between different cultures. When colonizing Australia, the British judged the native Australian culture from an ethnocentric point of view, creating a conflict between the two distinctive cultures. The first impression that the two cultures had about each other was rather positive. However, by calling the First Australians ‘savages’, the colonists treated the natives as if they were animals. In the book The Rabbits, the native Australians’ effort to protect their country failed because the colonists were too strong for them. The colonists viewed the First Australians as an uncivilized species, giving them no human rights to keep their own country. Just because the First Australians' culture was completely different from their own culture, the British colonists saw them as an uncivilized society, denying them basic human rights. These biased perceptions came from the ethnocentrism of the British colonists which led to the conflict between the two cultures. The first conflict was when the colonist McIntyre killed the Aborigines just as if he were killing some animals. This act insulted the Aborigines, which made an Aboriginal leader named Pemulway seek revenge. Since the colonists were full of ethnocentrism, they became overzealous when they compared themselves with the Aborigines. Feeling that they were superior than the natives, they began to inhibit the Aborigines’ land ruthlessly. As a result, a war took place between the colonists who were trying to conquer their land and the First Australians who were just trying to protect it. The British eliminated and wiped out the First Australian culture by using violence and brutality. Because of the colonists’ irresponsible act towards the Aborigines, many innocent natives died. The British ethnocentrism caused immense pain to the Aborigines and ended up causing extreme conflict.