Are Vulcans ethnocentric?

[Yukaphile]

For you, clearspira - a debate from TV Tropes regarding Vulcan prejudice that you recently brought up in the "Fusion" review.

Logic is the basis for their entire culture, or at least they want to pretend. They cannot comprehend something that isn't logical. When they see or hear something they think is illogical (for instance, "We're close enough to Klingon space to smell them!"), they'll try to correct you! Among all the Vulcans seen throughout the franchise, few even try to see past pure logic. What do you call someone who can't see past their own culture and tries to correct anything that doesn't fit in it? They're explicitly racist in Star Trek: Enterprise; apparently, they've mellowed out after centuries with the Federation.
You are probably right. All Vulcans on TOS, aside from Spock, seemed to show a contempt for other races. Even Sarek said that Pon Farr 'Was not for outsiders. Especially Earth men."
Well, he was talking about the practice of meditation, "a personal matter, not to be discussed, especially not with Earthmen," but yeah.
Spock said that pon farr was a deeply personal thing that even Vulcans didn't speak about between themselves.
Celia Lovsky's ice-cold "Are thee Vulcan — or are thee human?" certainly showed an emotion. Yeow.
There's a parody in which Spock goes "tch-tch-tch-tch, you earth people". That's exactly it. That's his attitude all the way through the show. Sometimes he's serious, sometimes he's teasing.
It's difficult to find any other explanation for Spock's half-blood status being such an angsty issue for him.
How about his being torn between two extremely different cultures - one which embraces emotion, and one which dismisses it? That's enough to make anyone angsty.
But angst is an emotion!
Correction: Vulcans simply disdain expressing emotion, not possessing them. Having angst is fine, expressing it everywhere, wangsting in public and causing disorder is not. At least only in Vulcan society, since Spock is Not So Stoic around Kirk (with consequences in fanfiction). If Vulcans really disdained emotion itself then why haven't they Borg themselves to be emotionless computers of pure and complete logic, finally free from the pitfalls of biology such as emotion, adrenaline and Pon Farr?
This goes from being subtext to text near the end of "Deep Space Nine." That baseball game...
Vulcans are less racist and more on the superior side, ala Space Elves. This attitude is in part what led to the Romulans (who ARE racist/speciesist) - it's just the Vulcan view taken to extremes.
And where do you draw the line?
Morally? Probably at around the point at which you start using your beliefs in your own superiority as justification for mistreating everyone who is (or just thinks) differently. For the most part, even Vulcans who do think that are sensible (read: logical) enough not to let it affect their judgement. The line between "contemptuous" and "racist" can probably be drawn somewhere.
The new movie implied that the racism's real. Between the bullies near the beginning to the almost pseudo-Affirmative Action implications at Spock's acceptance to the Vulcan Academy, it sure looked like it.
Vulcan: Spock, you did very well, despite your handicap of being half human. You'll get to hang out with the same jerkwads who tormented you growing up.
Spock: With all due respect... Screw you. I'm joining Starfleet where I can make out with Uhura. Live long and suck it!
Isn't the new movie a reboot?
It is, but at least the scene with the bullies took place in the Prime Universe as well. Amanda refers to it in "Journey to Babel." It's also shown in the TAS episode "Yesteryear" (written by Dorothy Fontana), which fans usually take as canon.
The correct term is Canon Defilement.
Nope, it's an Alternate Continuity - they're explicit about this. It is, or was, the same universe as Original Flavour Trek, except it branches off at a certain point in the timeline. (And that point comes after most of Star Trek: Enterprise.)
It is colloquially referred to as a reboot, was advertised as a reboot, referred to in the press as Star Trek Reboot and when you type "Star Trek Reboot" into Google you get the new movie. The fact that it isn't a true reboot is just one of those delightful things about Star Trek like the retconning on the bumpy-headed Klingons.
Will people get over it? The TOS klingons didnt have bumps because they couldn't afford it, it was the 1960s and Trek was a kid's show. It's called "use your imagination" and also "get over it" herpderpherpderp
Herpderp: You're thinking of Lost In Space. Trek was the first science fiction TV series aimed at adults. The "bumpy/smooth" Klingons could be argued right into the ground. But until you can produce documentation (memos, production notes, etc.) from the period in question from Gene asking for "bumpy" at that time, "bumpy" will be seen as a retcon by most interested people. The one thing you're right about is TOS was indeed a 1960s show, and production notes for Klingons describe them as Vietcong; "hard-faced Orientals, the Ho Chi Minh type".
Except clearly it can't be a reboot because the presence of Spock Prime relies on the in-Universe existence of previous continuity.
Also in-canon in TOS in "Journey to Babel".
"They cannot comprehend something that isn't logical" This is cannon. In the TOS Immnity Syndrome Spock says that the crew of an all Vulcan ship died because they could not logically comprehend what was happening to them so they would have literally just stood there and let themselves die.
I always thought this was a pivotal and important episode in understanding Spock's relation his human and vulcan side. He is able to comprehend something that other Vulcans could not, their inability to overcome logic killed them and Spock seemed to really internalize that lesson but could not articulate and express until he was able to coin 'logic is the beginning of wisdom'

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

What? Pon Farr is a meditation practice?

[CharlesPhipps]

Yeah, it's not for Earthlings because it's:

1. Highly dangerous and can kill humans.
2. Resolved by battle to the death
3. Embarrassing for a logical race.

[Yukaphile]

I always got the impression it'd make wild sex, though - otherwise humans wouldn't survive it with the Vulcan/human couples we see.

It's only resolved by the ritual duel if a mate is not chosen.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I always got the impression it'd make wild sex, though - otherwise humans wouldn't survive it with the Vulcan/human couples we see.

It's only resolved by the ritual duel if a mate is not chosen.

Right so how on earth does this come off as a exclusive meditation practice? I don't think meditation serves as a practical term in the slightest to begin at any point to describe what it is.