Nacirema
Body Rituals Among the Nacirema Assignment
“Body Rituals Among the Nacirema”, by Horace Miner, is an essay written about the American people, from an outsider’s perspective, which he calls Nacirema, American spelled backwards. He disguises what he’s talking about by spelling many nouns backwards and giving things different names. Miner writes about American rituals in a foreign way that comes off as barbaric and heinous. He starts off talking about George Washington and how he founded America and how he’s seen as a hero. Then he moves on and talks about how vain the American people are, their focus being on money and the way they look. How the majority of people spend a good amount of time in the bathroom, which he calls “shrines”, prepping ones self to look different than they naturally do. How the richer you are, the bigger the house you live in and the more bathrooms you have. Then he goes on to talk about our medicine cabinets and says they’re full of “medicines and potions”, in which people believe they can’t live without. He talks about our doctors, dentists, and psychologists and gives them the names of “medicine men”, “holy-mouth-men, and the listener.” He even goes as far as talking about hospitals and what goes on there, which he calls “latipso”. He also talks about our dentist visits and our obsessions of keeping our mouths cleaned. Miner made his point quite clear, you can’t make an assumption or judgment until you have participated in another’s ways or “know the whole story”. It’s completely rude and demeaning.
Miner speaks the truth. Americans are obsessed with vanity and having multiple things that are completely useless to them. They are self-absorbed and more focused on how they look and how they are perceived, rather than the type of person that they are. This self-consumed way of life damages our relationships with others and what truly matters and makes the human soul happy. This way of life that we live starts from the second we are born. We
“Body Rituals Among the Nacirema”, by Horace Miner, is an essay written about the American people, from an outsider’s perspective, which he calls Nacirema, American spelled backwards. He disguises what he’s talking about by spelling many nouns backwards and giving things different names. Miner writes about American rituals in a foreign way that comes off as barbaric and heinous. He starts off talking about George Washington and how he founded America and how he’s seen as a hero. Then he moves on and talks about how vain the American people are, their focus being on money and the way they look. How the majority of people spend a good amount of time in the bathroom, which he calls “shrines”, prepping ones self to look different than they naturally do. How the richer you are, the bigger the house you live in and the more bathrooms you have. Then he goes on to talk about our medicine cabinets and says they’re full of “medicines and potions”, in which people believe they can’t live without. He talks about our doctors, dentists, and psychologists and gives them the names of “medicine men”, “holy-mouth-men, and the listener.” He even goes as far as talking about hospitals and what goes on there, which he calls “latipso”. He also talks about our dentist visits and our obsessions of keeping our mouths cleaned. Miner made his point quite clear, you can’t make an assumption or judgment until you have participated in another’s ways or “know the whole story”. It’s completely rude and demeaning.
Miner speaks the truth. Americans are obsessed with vanity and having multiple things that are completely useless to them. They are self-absorbed and more focused on how they look and how they are perceived, rather than the type of person that they are. This self-consumed way of life damages our relationships with others and what truly matters and makes the human soul happy. This way of life that we live starts from the second we are born. We