Nacirema is described as a culture that focuses on economic gains in this article. The community spends the whole day pursuit riches, and most people are obsessed with rituals and ceremonies which they perform every day. These unique traditions are focused on the human body, its appearance, and exposure to natural disease. The shrine is depicted as a holy place where rituals are performed on daily basis. It is described how members of a family secretly visit it to wash their bodies with holy water from a community water temple. Nacirema overwhelmed with the sickness is treated in latipso.
The author is extremely ethnocentric because he is very judgmental of the values that are important to these people. Also, he mocks their beliefs and ceremonies and even calls some of them dangerous. However, it all makes sense because this article is satirical, and he makes fun of the Americans. Nacirema (which is America spelled backward) are obsessed with their body appearance, and they perform daily rituals to cure illnesses.
The laptiso is a hospital, and a shrine is a bathroom. One of the strange rituals that were described is just a brushing of teeth (Beer par. 3). This highlights how obsessed Americans are with their bodies. Too much time is spent on hygiene, and not enough on the family. Other cultures find this lifestyle odd. The article proves that one should not judge other cultures because some traditions may seem strange.
It has shown that different methods can be used in anthropology research. It is also interesting how other authors try to describe the culture of Nacirema. Steinberg wrote about relationships between men and women. For example, males use a horn to attract the attention of females (Steinberg par. 3). Kahn decided to explain the hierarchy and described how their king lives in stone palaces (Kahn 809). These articles were both interesting and informative, and I agree with many points.
Works Cited
Beer, Todd. Nacirema: Updating a Classic to See Your Own Culture as an Outsider. 2014. Web.
Kahn, Jeffrey. “The Nacirema Revised.” SMU Law Review 67.4 (2014): 806-818. Print.
Steinberg, Neely. The Bizarre Dating Rituals of the Nacirema. 2013. Web.