The experiential exercise involved two video clips, an excerpt from a show, Full House , and a video clip about a modern family. Both clips display social problems at the family level and myths surrounding the perception of families using two different family setups. In the Full House clip, there is a perception of a complete family in support of their daughter Kimmy who is preparing for prom night. The prom night custom involves high school students donning formal attire and participating in dancing. Kimmy has the whole family in support of her. The father hands her his credit card to get a new dress, her boyfriend Steve goes along with her to offer his opinion as she tries out dresses and her uncle offers his disc jockeying services for the night. Teenage conflict about love and personality are also experienced as Kimmy meets Rachel Taylor, a former girlfriend to Steve (Franklin, 2016). In the second clip, Modern Family , two gay males are in the company of their adopted daughter in a restaurant. The daughter, who disowns her country of origin in the clip, goes further to assert that she is gay. Her parents try to talk her out of that perception since they believe she is confused. The scene shows conflicts within the family, with the daughter displaying arrogance and hatred toward others (Lloyd, 2015). In both clips, myths surrounding families in the U.S are portrayed. Unrealistic perspectives about cohesion in families are also shown, downplaying the turmoil and conflicts experienced in the current U.S family setups. I reflect on the experimental exercise about these two clips and show mythical beliefs and family issues as a critical social problem in the U.S.
Expectations
In my expectations, the family of the current age in the U.S is different from the family, as portrayed in the Full House clip. First, I expect a family with less financial freedom. I observed as Kimmy’s father gives out his credit card without any instructions on how much Kimmy should spend. This displays financial freedom that is rarely observed in current-age families. Economic trends are reshaping families in the U.S through globalization, changes in technology, shift to the service economy, and capital flight (Eitzen et al., 2013, p. 326). These trends have left families vulnerable and increased the number of families categorized as living in low standards. I, therefore, expected a stricter father while guarding his earnings against his daughter’s expenses.
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I also expect a family that has little time to ponder about a prom night custom for their daughter. Economic challenges that directly affect families in the U.S have resulted in limited work leave and increased working hours. Parents have to take up multiple income-generating activities to meet their family responsibilities. This implies that parents are not always there when their kids go through such stages of life.
I the Modern Family clip, I expected a family with fewer conflicts. The two gay males have one adopted daughter who is accorded all the attention and love. I, therefore, looked forward to a calm family, with a daughter who observed societal morals. However, it was all within my expectations when the daughter affirmed that she was also gay, just like his parents. It is expected that children will always look up to their parents and may adapt to their personalities. This corresponds to the discussion on the effect of nature and nurture, where both have been shown to have an impact on our personalities (Kandler, 2012).
Bias and Experience
Before watching the two clips, I had a bias towards the success of gay families. These families have been discriminated against on the grounds of their sexuality, thus being regarded as incapable of bringing up morally upright children. I, therefore, overlooked any shortfalls that these families went through and was always looking at ways that proved the success of such families. However, after analyzing the clips, I realize that just like heterosexual families, gay families also face family challenges and inadequacies.
After watching the videos, I realize that the modern family and the conventional family have challenges that need sociologists’ input on viable solutions. Different forms of modern families, including same-sex families and heterosexual families, have challenges that hinder ideal family bonding. The experience also enhanced the concept of mythical families, as discussed by Eitzen et al. (2013). A myth that is enhanced in the experience is of the monolithic family. Monolithic families, which were regarded as the standard of a complete family, are supposed to comprise of a heterosexual setup with the father as a family head and provider. The mother was viewed as the homemaker who takes care of the children and ensures family bonding. This myth is distorted by the modern gay family that thrives without a mother and real father figure.
Personal Growth
The most essential of my learnings is the discovery of weaknesses experienced by the modern family, just like the family of the past. Same-sex marriages and heterosexual families may influence children whole look up to their parents, into choosing sexual orientations that they did not belong to. Also, the current age family is faced with challenges of inadequate bonding time and economic challenges that hinder family bonding. These experiences will make me approach my work with a sensitive mind on the diversity of family forms and challenges that each form is subjected to. With the increased participation of women in the labor force, as discussed by Eitzen et al. (2013, p. 330), I will always be time conscious as I work with other people to ensure that everyone in the society has reserve time for family bonding and growth. Besides the respect, loving each form of family, as enshrined in different spiritual beliefs, is vital in creating harmony and evading conflicts in the society.
References
Eitzen, D. S., Zinn, M. B., & Smith, K. E. (2013). Social problems (14th ed.). Pearson Higher Ed.
Franklin, J. (2016, March 8). Prom Night [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAFVhL62sTY
Kandler, C. (2012). Nature and nurture in personality development. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 21 (5), 290-296. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412452557
Lloyd, C. (2015, January 27). Modern family-Restaurant scene [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFSB-xLrAFI
