As I had just learned in new student seminar Nacerima is America spelled backwards. Ironically after reading the culture of Nacerima I stated that although their ceremonies and practices seemed absurd some of the traditions American’s part take in don’t speak to highly about our morals either. However most students in the class claimed that the Nacerima practices were ridiculous and would never be accepted or allowed in this society. Our teacher claimed that we need to have an open mind before judging practices and people. Nacerima really did make me think that coming from another culture our day to day lives seem just as strange as the way we look at other nations. For example in the reading that was assigned about sexuality the idea that men had to eat semen to grow took me back. “In fact, when Herdt suggested that this behavior made them homosexual, or at least bisexual, they grew angry and diffident. This had nothing whatever to do with homosexuality, they assured Herdt.” This quote stood out to me because men especially straight men become very defensive and protective of their masculinity. As we said in class today the “ideal” man whether black, white, or straight all were characterized with these masculine, confident and strong. When a man’s sexuality is in question they immediately put all guards up and protect their manly hood because that diminishes their power. The idea that men can not truly be men without eating semen seems heterosexual in my perspective so why are men so defensive when they take part in these practices. Although this topic made me think that babies breast feed whether male or female and we don’t see that as homosexual or a petafile we perceive as proper nutrients for newborns, so maybe semen is in some form a way for young boys to grow into strong man. When an anthropologist asked Keraki men if they had been sodomized, many responded by saying ‘Why, yes! Otherwise how should I have grown?’ These men are convinced that semen is an essential part of growing into a respected man. This raised the question of what I do to be considered a respected female let’s assume that I didn’t breast feed as a newborn would that relate to me as not being able to hit puberty or menstruate, although we know that is not the case. These practices are believed in a place where men are of more superior then woman so this is a way to prove power and masculinity for man, as barbaric as it may sound. I found it funny when they talked about tapping the rear end when an athlete makes a good play or scores a goal, point of touchdown because many of my male friends do the same and everyone on the side lines it makes us laugh. However the part I found ironic and controversial is when they say Nacerima don’t have sex very much and all and when they do have sex with a female they are typically drunk. Why do we talk about birth control, sterilization and abortion if sex and reproduction wasn’t a concern in today’s and past society. Overall, the idea of Nacerima allows us to depict our culture without even knowing it. America has so much to say about every other nations quality and way of life that we never step back and truly look at our own culture. Although we have many problems in our nation sexuality discrimination, stereotyping, and false accusations of sexuality is a major issue. How much consideration do we take into other cultures and really depict the reasoning behind their practices before we make judgments? The answer is not enough.
