Would you like to live among the Nacirema? Why or why not? After reading Horace Miner's Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, I can't say I would want to be part of the tribe. One of the main reasons would be that I could never move from my own Christian faith to the religious practices of Nacirema. The second reason I don't want to be a part of the tribe is because I could never be subjected to the horrible medical practices and "magic potions" used on every citizen of the tribe. One of the fundamental beliefs of the Nacirema is that the "human being" his body is ugly and that his natural tendency is towards debility and illness. According to Christian tradition, the human body is fallen and is therefore subject to disease and weakness; so in this regard I do not completely disagree with the Nacirema. However, they seem to take body ugliness to a whole new extreme. Their fascination with the mouth is extremely interesting. In today's society, we don't necessarily view the mouth as an evil tool, but rather as a tool for communication and sexuality. The relationship between oral and moral characteristics is an interesting way of looking at the world. I had a lot of cavities before the age of 16 and I can honestly say I wasn't an overly naughty kid; it's just a byproduct of not brushing and too much sugar. The Nacirema seem to read a lot of things that are just the repercussions of a life lived. Healers seem to take extreme advantage of the people they are supposed to care for. They seem to have more selfish goals instead of sincerely helping people. I couldn't believe that sick people had to give gifts before they could be "helped" and after they were "helped". The fact that they experienced immense...... middle of paper ......ianness in America is one of the "easiest" religions to pursue and live. But people, whether they are believers or not, still do not see the need. So I can honestly respect the Nacirema for their dedication and responsibility to their faith, even if I don't really agree with why they do it. There is absolutely no way I would want to be part of a culture like the Nacirema. I think we can learn a lot about devotion from this culture. They dedicate their lives to learning and living according to what they believe, which is very respectful in many ways. However, practices that require mutilation and torture are not things I could ever participate in. No society should ever require its citizens to suffer for remaining true to their beliefs. It is interesting to study cultures so different from ours because it puts into perspective many of the freedoms we enjoy..