If you didn't read "Body ritual among the Nacirema" by Horace Miner click this and then read my post.

        What idea first hit your head when you finished reading? For me it was "yuck!" I guess almost everyone would have felt in the same way. I felt nauseous just by thinking about it again. How can we, the "supreme" species, who conquered nature still conduct such barbarous customs?

        Just after the shock wore off, I tried to understand myself as such a "civilized" person. "They are following the custom without any objections because they love the freedom from choices we, "modern" people, face or mankind might has a natural sadistic instinct so the Nicerma could not help but to conduct those nasty behaviors as they are "uncivilized"."

        However, Mr. Menard told me the true meaning that resides behind the word, Nacirema. (Although my roommate found out the real meaning without any assistance. AMAZING) What is Nacirema spelled in backward? It's americaN! We judged them as they were dirty but actually they were the same "superior and civilized" people. What I was most surprised that I made a judgment under a bias that I am "superior" because they were described as an ancient tribe.

        I realized that I have two glasses, one in front of my eyes and the other in front of my mind. The glasses in front of my heart allow me only to see the world under the basis that I am superior. As if we cannot sense that we are wearing glasses because we became so used to it, I could not sense the prejudice that the glasses in front of my heart made.

        The prejudice was pretty firm, so to break it, I had to find what made the prejudice. When we learn reasons of problems, then we can change by erasing the reasons from us. What made me to behave as if I am superior? We learn to donate from the early age. Why? because we have to help inhabitants of low-developed country because we live "better" life than them. Also, advertisements begging for more donations mostly make viewers to feel sorry for them. These were the problem. I have grown up continuously hearing that I should help because I live in Korea, "developed" country.

        I found the reason; naturally a next step is to erase it from my head. I think there is no easy way for erasing because the prejudice is like a well-constructed castle so it is not easy to take it down. Nevertheless, if I take time and constantly remind myself that I have a bias, it would have the same effect of besieging a castle, cutting their supply and finally capturing the castle.

        The writing makes people to realize they are biased and this also means that other people have the same prejudice. This might be related with 1956, the year when "Body ritual among the Nacirema" was written. At that time, the cold war raging so the author might have wanted to show that Soviet Union has the prejudice and might view American as the writing describes Nacirema. Ultimately, the author's intention must have been making a person to understand that everybody is biased. Then, what we should do if everyone is biased? I believe that we should first change. If we treat them equally, they would also change.

We are same people

        Now, we understand the real side of "Body ritual among the Nicerma" is realizing our prejudices. The writer successfully convinced me and I changed. I no longer judge people by first impression as first impression is mostly generated by the prejudice. Especially, I changed a lot in facing people who are different such as people who have different cultural backgrounds. Putting off the glasses in front of my heart, I could see differences in a different perspective. There were no longer people for me to teach, but people to help as we are the same human.
Superiority gone I could face real people.