Horace Miner writes about the Nacirema‚ a culture steeped in magic and superstition. Their ways of life are portrayed as uncivilized and barbaric. The Nacirema perform rituals and rites that are strange to us here in the civilized world. The description and portrayal of this tribe make it very hard for the reader to connect or even begin to understand such a strange people. Miner starts of the article creating an atmosphere of wonderment; “if all of the logically possible combinations of behavior
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Miner: American Vs. Nacirema Horace Miner expresses both irony and ridicule towards the American culture in his article “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”. He uses a sociological approach that is rather witty‚ using a fictitious North American group called the “Nacirema”. The views of this culture are much like our own‚ depicting the importance of societal status‚ wealth‚ health and appearance. Miner introduces the readers to a society living between Canada and Mexico‚ originated by a founder called
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the Naciremas? Why or why not? After reading Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema I cannot say that I would want to be part of the tribe. A huge reason would be that I could never go from my own Christian faith to the religious practices of the Nacirema. My second reason for not wanting to be part of the tribe is that I could never be subjected to the horrific medical practices and “magical potions” used on every citizen in the tribe. One of the fundamental beliefs of the Nacirema is that
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Who are the Nacirema and how shall they be defined? The dictionary defines an Anthropologist as a person that studies human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character‚ environmental and social relations‚ and culture (Webster 2011). I am not claiming to be an Anthropologist however‚ from my viewpoint‚ I am not sure if I am capable of grasping my mind around the concept that “the body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease” explained
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who are different than themselves. Why does it make people uncomfortable? (Hint: the fear of loss associated with change..." AND what can we do about it? Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism perpetuates discrimination‚ attitudes of superiority‚ hostility‚ and contempt for members of other groups. The most serious consequences of ethnocentrism are violent wars‚ ethnic cleansing‚ slavery‚ and genocide. This issue of getting people to deal with their innate discomfort of accepting others who are different
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primitive Nacirema‚ who carve out an existence somewhere between "the Canadian Cree‚ the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico‚ and the Carab and the Awawak of the Antilles" ("Body Ritual among the Nacirema‚ p. 1). Who could even think to compare Americans‚ in our advanced state‚ with such a remote and isolated group? However‚ upon closer reflection‚ however‚ it occurred‚ much to the present author’s surprise‚ that the Nacirema and Americans are in fact mirror images of one another. First‚ the Nacirema have
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According to the dictionary ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture. (The merriam-webster dictionary‚ 1997) Ethnocentrism often involves the belief that one’s own race or ethnic group is the most important and that some or all pieces of its culture are higher to those of other groups. Within this thought‚ individuals will judge other groups in relation to their own individual ethnic group or culture‚ especially with concern to language
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the Nacirema A well-known anthropologist Horace Miner has conducted a research on the community called the Nacirema‚ which was originated in North America. The main focus of the research was made on the body rituals of the Nacirema‚ which then becomes the title of his work. According to Horace (1956) fundamental belief of the Nacirema is that a human body is weak and imperfect‚ irresistant to many diseases. He believes that in order to maintain a true potential of a body‚ the Nacirema performs
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Introduction The term ethnocentrism is explained by Stanmore and Lancaster (1993) as “the belief that one’s own group or culture determines the standards‚ values‚ behaviours and principles by which all other groups are to be judged”(p. 35). This term ethnocentrism helps us to acknowledge “difference” as been acceptable and educating. In this essay I will explain why it is important for registered nurses to understand the impact that ethnocentrism may have on the delivery of nursing services. I will
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What is ethnocentrism? Are ethnocentric values reflected in mass media? If so‚ provide examples. If not‚ why not? Ethnocentrism is when one places a culture‚ values‚ and views over that of another culture. This can be associated with American popular culture as the message with any popular trend tends to be a popularity contest. Quite often products are sold based off the insinuation that it is better than any other product out there. For instance‚ a popular recurring fad is the Michael Jordan
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