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Horace Miner: Satire In Describing American Culture

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I think that Horace Miner was attempting to be satirical in describing American culture in order for other anthropologist to look at their own culture more subjectively. He calls the tribe Nacirema, or American spelled backwards and calls everyday objects by there more literal names, like charm box (medicine cabinet) and mouth-rite ritual (brushing your teeth). Miner makes us think that this is a Native American tribe to play off our thoughts and stereotypes that we may have. He wants us to think this is a tribe of backwards people when in fact he is describing Americans. For example, he talks about the chest built into the wall of the shrine that holds magical potions that no one believes they could live without and people seek out the

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