Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

Having read about the Nacirema for my sociology class in the fall, I was able to view this culture from a new perspective while reading about it for anthropology.  The first time I read this article I was shocked.  I could not understand how any culture could be so obsessive about the body, or be so concerned with the opinions of others.  I will admit that I skimmed this first reading, and missed the location of this group of people, thereby missing the fact that the author was writing about Americans.  It was easy to judge the Nacirema from an outsider's perspective.  I found the description of the way that the Nacirema viewed the body sad, and at some points, even comical. I was especially confused about their view of the mouth, and by their latipso "temple".  Any similarities I found between these people and what I know from my own culture, I discounted (such as the similarity between the "bundle of hog hairs" and our toothbrush).  I could not see the similarities because I did not want to admit that my culture had anything in common with such a tribal, seemingly harsh culture.  When my sociology professor explained who the Nacirema were to those of us that had not made the connection, I was embarrassed.  The article made so much more sense - it was a view of the American culture as it might be seen through the eyes of an outsider.  This forced me to rethink some of the ideas that our culture perpetuates, as well as to rethink the way in which I view cultures other than my own.  However different it may seem, I cannot fully understand a ritual or custom that is strange and ridiculous to me unless I become a part of that culture.  If my own culture can be made to sound so barbaric to me just through the word choice used to describe it, how much stranger could an exotic culture seem if the research is not reported in an objective manner?