The Shocking Body Rituals of the Nacirema Culture: An Insightful Analysis

Abstract

Body Rituals among the Nacirema Question one Yes, the Nacirema culture is shocking. Culture defines people's beliefs, shaping their way of coexisting with each other. However, it is wise to associate some beliefs with enslavement, thus the need to reconsider their positive and negative impacts to define their applicability and viability in people’s life. According to Miner (1956), the Nacirema culture consists of magical beliefs and practices that these people treasure, defining the extreme to which human behavior can go in justifying the viability of its culture. It is a culture characterized by a highly developed market economy evolving in its natural habitat, limiting the Nacirema community from embracing new developments, especially in health-related matters. Respect for culture is not a crime. However, over-reliance on a culture whose negative impacts outweigh its benefits is the problem noted with applying the Nacirema demanding beliefs. Unless a person is of unsound mind, engaging in body and mind torturing rituals as a sign of conformity to the demands of the embraced culture proves illogical. Nacirema ritual activity aimed at body cleansing causes more harm to the ugly body than good, exposing many to severe pains, other complications, and death in severe cases. As much as the Nacirema wish to respect their torturing culture, they lose focus on their embraced treasures like body respect which the Lalipso temple engagement ignores by stripping off all its target clients upon entering its compound. Where is the decency in stripping off the mixed clients naked after long periods of maintained body respect only for such ignorance in conformity with a particular branch of the same culture? Naciremas need to wake up, embrace change in areas that define risks to their existence, and believe in technological advancement that credibly remedies health-related issues. Question two The analysis of the Nacirema culture by Miner and Wesch provides clear insights into assumptions that...