Aisha Reed Professor Navarette Sociology 10, 11 February 2013 Nacirema is American It is very difficult to think outside the box and let go of one’s cultural norms. It is very easy to point the finger in disgust and fall victim of ethnocentrism when it comes to an unfamiliar culture. The article Body Ritual among the Nacirema, by Horace Miner, brings to light a group of North American people, named Nacirema, that culture includes the obsession over rituals that are done to the human body. These rituals might seem different but try and take a culturally relative perspective and ask yourself, “Why?” Nacirema’s culture is highly developed and they are extremely committed to reaching economic goals. A substantial amount of money and time are spent on ritual deeds that are suppose to improve the appearance and health of the body.
“Body Ritual among the Nacirema” and the core concepts of sociology. The article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” relates to the core concepts of sociology in many ways. Horace Miner does a wonderful job of describing the American culture in a unique way. Although the article describes many aspects of American life, it is written to influence the reader into thinking that they are reading about an uncivilized tribe of people who either existed a long time ago, or still exist today. This article hides many of the core terms that relate to sociology including sociological imagination and ethnocentrism.
I find Rush Limbaugh to be very harsh in a lot of his expressions, such as words like: “feminazis” (referring to radical feminists “to whom the most important thing in life is ensuring that as many abortions as possible occur.”) Calling President Obama “Barrack the Magic Negro” already leans towards racism. He doesn’t seem to think about what he is saying, and keeps defending his points without having any reasonable argument. To me he seems to be a person that does not want to cope with change; an “old dog you can’t teach new tricks” to. He seems to be very driven into his ways, and does not accept new beliefs and viewpoints. And, in my opinion, this is one of the reasons he keeps resulting in these aggressive “outbursts”.
This embarrasses Gogol so he is constantly trying to compensate by blending in with Americans. One of the main issues holding him back from being Indian under the radar is his name. It is different and does not go unnoticed which is why he begins to resent the name, his parents for choosing it, and ultimately everything that makes him different from other Americans. This is the main conflict that hangs over the Ganguli household, but it is manifested in smaller day-to-day conflicts. Gogol is teased about his name, his parent’s want him to identify with an aspect of Bengali culture, but he resists, the parents want to visit India, and Gogol and Sonia complain and feel their summer is ruined, Gogol has romantic relationships that his parents don’t understand, and finally Gogol moves away and changes his name, and barely keeps up with his parents.
To understand a cultures norm, you must first understand why they do the things that they do. In “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”, Miner writes about the extreme rituals that people do in America. It brings out the idea that what they are doing is only to improve the looks which are actually unnecessary. Although the writer does not use the word America at all, we can tell from the content and the examples that it is reflecting the Americans. Actually, if the word “Nacirema” in the title reverses, it is America.
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT 582 DeVRY UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SPECTOR Tajuna Shape Tajuna629@gmail.com In reading Horace Miner’s article, “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” he describes the extreme rituals, customs and beliefs of a group of people North American people living the region between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. Upon further reading and understanding of the article, as an anthropologist, I came to understand that Miner use of the word Nacirema in the title was deliberate. Nacirema is America spelled backwards. Miner was describing America’s extreme cultural and rituals on their physical appearance and maintaining a youthful lifestyle. In the article, Miner describes how a considerable amount of time is spent daily in ritualistic activities, preparing the body’s appearance and maintaining its health.
Nacirema Reflection According to the article “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” by Horace Miner, wrote about the Nacirema, which are the “North American group living in territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles“ (Mines 1). They were also known as the cultural hero. The article is about what people believe in such as religion, culture and their belief. The main points of this reading is to help us understand their culture, what they believe in and their religion. The main point of this reading is to make us realize that there are hundreds of other cultures and everyone is different and be open minded about it.
Professor Linton first brought the ritual of the Nacirema to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago (1936:326), but the culture of this people is still poorly understood. They are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. Little is known of their origin, although tradition states that they came from the east. According to Nacirema mythology, their nation was originated by a culture hero, Notgnihsaw, who is otherwise known for two great feats of strength-the throwing of a piece of wampum across the river Pa-To-Mac and the chopping down of a cherry tree in which the Spirit of Truth resided. Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy which has evolved in a rich natural habitat.
He epitomizes himself as a coward, frightened by the societies rejection; he follows cultural standards rather than abiding by his own. Orwell comprehends that he has contradicted his principles merely to avoid discernment from the natives. Correspondingly, In “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America,” Barbara Ehrenreich, masks her “real life” to pursue the life of ones financially less fortunate. Ehrenreich is a middle-class journalist who disguises herself with the intention to appear as a low-class woman to conduct an experiment; yet, the mask gradually begins to become her reality. Orwell illustrates his true identity by using internal oscillation illuminating his natural morals, but ignoring and substituting them for those of the arbitrating community, soon realizing he has become overpowered by his mask.
Adolf Hitler did not plan genocide for the Jews but wished instead to move them out of Europe” (Cohen- Almagor, 2008, 216). When Holocaust deniers enter the classroom as educators, students are indoctrinated with false history thus creating a prejudice and bigoted generation who will continue to preach hate. Rather, if students learn about the attempted annihilation of European Jewry, it allows them to appreciate and understand where racism can lead if left unchecked. Without a sensitive and unique Holocaust education, denial might be the only interpretation of history presented to students, thus propagating a hateful and racist society. History’s most extreme example of anti- Semitism, the Holocaust, was the state sponsored bureaucratic systematic persecution and annihilation of