The American dream, The American Family

[TexasLifter89]

I'm not sure how many of you saw the article, but It said that there is no such thing as the "Classic American Family" anymore? I know it sounds weird, but it took a blow to me. I guess I still hold true to tradition and morals too much.

The typical american family is no longer The mother, The father, and The 2 children. There is no "classic american family" anymore.

I'm not really sure where I am going with this, but I go to a school that thrives on traditions and old values, and they are something I hold dear to me, but it seems that these ways are very quickly going out the window...

 

[rubberring]

Comment: The "Classic American Family" was also white and Christian. Personally, I don't buy the 1950s Pleasantville-esque imagery that supposedly encapsulates traditional family values.

The nuclear set-up of a family and values are not mutually exclusive.

 

[roids1]

There may not be a such thing as a "classic American family" anymore. But, the classic nuclear family, as in mom/dad/children, is and will always be the universal norm. Evolving political and social views in the west and redifining of marriage will never change that.

 

[rubberring]

There may not be a such thing as a "classic American family" anymore. But, the classic nuclear family, as in mom/dad/children, is and will always be the universal norm. Evolving political and social views in the west and redifining of marriage will never change that.

I'll agree that mom/dad/children will always be the norm. Personally, I just don't think mom/dad/children under the umbrella of a marriage certificate signed by a Christian minister should be. Marriage is a social institution. Yes, one could argue that traditional values dictate that marriage is morally superior to a couple who lives out of wedlock. However, I'll bet that every guy on this board knows a married person who is unfaithful and/or abusive to his/her spouse... so I'd suggest that the whole institution can be a ridiculous facade. (Oh, and as a teacher, I know a few gay couples who have extraordinary kids.)

 

[roids1]

No, marriage doesn't guarantee a healthy and stable family life. That probably has much more to do with a couple's committment to each other and the propper raising of their kids than a legal document or religous ceremony. Those who get married, in general, are probably more committed than those who aren't. Just my 2ccs.

 

[Lacradocious]

The traditional "American Family" was and always will be just an ideal. It's not like there was no such thing as infidelity or divorce 50 years ago. Back then, social standards may have ment trying to maintain that ideal, thus leading to raising children in broken homes. Where now, most people just get divorced.

I would rather come from a broken marriage, than live in a broken home where the parents are miserable and set a poor example of how to treat your spouse.