Health

Health

S.S.
HRM582 Managing Global Diversity
March 31, 2013

NACIREMA

In reading Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, I had to read this passage more than once to understand the message behind it. Once I understood the subliminal message throughout the passage, it became clear as to what the author was trying to let the audience know about their culture. The Nacirema’s appears to be a society obsessed with the appearance of their bodies. They have many body rituals, some that are conducted in private, and some that require the assistance of a knowledgeable medicine man. Let’s break down who and what this author is writing about. The author is talking about the extreme body rituals of the American people. Reading this passage it makes one look at our culture and say are we really that shallow about our appearances. The rituals that were described in “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” are norms that we as Americans practice everyday. The author talks about the ritual that we spend so much time to get ready in the morning. These rituals or norms to the American people are natural because society tells us and you have been raised to believe this is normal but another culture could feel that our rituals are strange. In fact some countries don’t believe in shaving (removing hair) the body. The ceremonies performed at the Latipso seem to be very strange practices.
The Latipso is referring to the hospital, the medicine men are doctors, and the vestal maidens are nurses. The Latipso seemed like a place where the Nacirema was going to die but actually they were going to get healed. The same as Americans go to the hospital to get healed and there are different types of doctors for different procedures one may need to be performed. For example, the author talks about women having plastic surgery on their breast all for appearance. I read this passage thinking this culture is weird but I found that I was practicing their same rituals. Therefore Nacirema rituals don’t seem that...

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