ANTH 210 1st Edition Lecture 4 Outline of Last Lecture I Quiz over Chapter 3 was taken at beginning of class II Review of Chapter 3 concepts a Cross cultural references b Ethnocentrism c Cultural Relativism III Guitars Pick Up Trucks Activity a Materialist b Functionalist c Structuralist d Interpretive e Conflict Theory Outline of Current Lecture I Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Handout a Author b Class Discussion of Initial Reactions c Underlying meaning of handout II Culture as Comfort Discussion a What situations have you been in that made you uncomfortable b How do you make others feel comfortable Current Lecture I Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Handout a Essay by Horace Miner University of Michigan i The purpose of this handout was to show the class what fieldwork might look like While reading the essay we were asked to take notes and try to visualize this tribe ii It is important to note that the hallmark of anthropology is fieldwork b Class Discussion of Initial reactions i Tribe seemed barbaric ii The author may be trying to draw parallels to American society These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute II iii This culture participates in unnecessary tasks concerning oral maintenance c Underlying meanings of Handout i Nacirema is American spelled backwards ii This essay is a sarcastic interpretation of the tasks that the typical American participates in There are many different parallels drawn in the essay to particular aspects of American culture 1 Medicine man doctor 2 Secret Language of medicine man the vocabulary and speech that doctors use that the layman can understand 3 Shrine bathroom toilet 4 Focal point of shrine is a box built into the wall medicine cabinet 5 holy mouth man dentist 6 latipso hospital spelled backwards without the h 7 witch doctor listener Priests 8 women with hypermammary development models maybe strippers iii The essay suggests that American society is very focused on beauty and the way a person appears 1 For example the essay stresses the importance of the mouth This contributes to the idea that the mouth is what often will attract friends or mates American culture stresses teeth whitening braces and other products that will enhance a person s smile Commercials and ads will suggest that a perfect smile helps people obtain more friends and mates The motivation behind oral hygiene is social status not necessarily health iv By explaining the American culture secretively it gives the reader a more open mind while examining this tribe If it were to explain from the beginning it was talking about Americans the reader if he or she was American might be quick to defend the accusations Culture as Comfort Class discussion a What situations have you been in that have made you uncomfortable i Some responses 1 A student was tailgating with his brother before an A M football game where that happened to be underage drinking The student said he did not participate in that sort of thing and it made him uncomfortable He felt like he could not have the sort of conversations he is used to having because of the state that the drinkers were in 2 Another student said she encountered an uncomfortable situation when meeting her boyfriend s family for the first time All of his extended family was there which she was not expecting As they watched a football game her boyfriend s family began to drink make jokes and enjoy the game However she was uncomfortable by some of the jokes they were making and the way that they cursed ii If we don t ever try to get past our discomforts how will we ever adapt socially culturally 1 The simple answer is that we won t We must try to understand and respect the actions and decisions other people make b How do you make others feel comfortable i Find a common ground or similar interests and make conversation based on those commonalities ii Make a joke to make the person that is uncomfortable feel more at ease