A little bit of perspective on the society and culture of the Nacirema people involve body rituals and how they go through great lengths to ensure physical wellness. It is difficult as a reader to make sense of the rituals the Nacirema performed and why they did. The Nacirema people believe that the human body is ugly and that it is susceptible to disease. They live a very bizarre lifestyle, not the stressing on the physical well-being part but the spiritual sense they put into their beliefs. In their house, they have a private shrine where they pray daily. They believe this will cleanse and prevent whatever is lurking in the human body. Inside their shrine is a chest, which they believe possess magical powers, these powers are produced by the medicine man. The medicine man is of very high stature among the Nacirema. …show more content…
They cleanse the mouth once or twice a year. The ‘Holy Mouth Men’ come around and use instruments to dig holes in healthy or even decaying teeth. Some parts of the mouth are even stuffed with magical substances to stop decay. This sounds to me like a very painful procedures, much like what the Nacirema women go through, depending upon the patterns of the moon, the women have their head baked! This is supposed to be a body cleansing ritual. I’ve noticed many cultures that believe in rituals like this and will do what they have to in order to make sure they are carried out. If it wasn’t noticed by now Nacirema, is actually American spelled backwards. This article was written at the American culture through outside eyes. This is why this is so disturbing because the American culture is rarely ever looked at from someone else’s view point besides our own. As Americans we are not open to different cultures, we believe what we do is the right way it should be