The Three Myths I chose to write on were Myth 2: The Self-Reliant Traditional Family, Myth 4: The Unstable African American Family, and Myth 5: The Idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950’s. The Myth of the self-reliant family leads people to assume that, in the past, families were held together by hard work, family loyalty, and a fierce determination not to be beholden to anyone, especially the state. It is popularly believed that such families never asked for handouts; rather, they stood on their own feet even in times of crisis. The families of yesteryear did not accept or expect “charity.” Authors debunk this myth by stating that U.S. families have always depended to some degree on other institutions. For example, colonial families made extensive use of the collective work of others, such as African American slaves and Native Americans, whose husbandry and collective land use provided for the abundant game, plants, and berries colonial families consumed to survive. African American families have been the subject of far more sweeping generalizations and myths. The most pervasive myth, the myth of the collapse of the African American family, is fueled by racist stereotypes and media exaggerations and distortions that overlook the diversity of African American family life.
According to social historian Andrew Billingsley, three distinct classes are visible in the African American community: (1) a small upper class (approximately 10%) that stresses family and is politically conservative; (2) a middle class (approximately 40%) concerned with family, respectability, and individual and family achievement; and (3) a lower class (approximately 50%) made up of stable working-class families and both stable and multi-problem poor families. It is generally from the multi-problem poor families within the lower class that stereotypes and generalizations are made about all African American families. The authors state that to generalize these behaviors to the entire African American community, however, is inaccurate and misleading. Moreover, to attribute these behaviors, when they do occur, to a deteriorating, immoral family life-style and a lack of middle-class family values ignores historical, social, and political factors, such as a history of servitude, legal discrimination, enforced segregation and exclusion. The myth of the Idealized Nuclear Family of the 1950s leads people to see the family as a middle-class institution consisting of a wise father who worked outside the home; a mother whose major responsibility was to take care of her husband, children, and home; and children who were well behaved and obedient.
The Essay on Native American Vs African American Trickster Tales
Beep BeepVRRROOOOMMMMand the Roadrunner speeds away from the deceitful Coyote as Coyote falls over a Cliff with his Acme dynamite still in hand. The tale of the trickster is known and shared all around the world. It is an age old story that has many different versions and is culturally diverse. Almost every culture has some version of the trickster tale; from the early West African people and ...
To present the 1950s as representing “typical” or “normal” family patterns, however, is misleading. The authors debunk this myth by stating that there is not now and never has been a single model of the family. Families and their experiences are indeed different; however, difference does not connote better or worse. Families are products of their historical context, and at any given historical period families occupy different territories and have varied experiences, given the differential influence of the society’s race, class, and gender systems. I guess the only myth that changed my perspective was the myth of the self reliant traditional family because I always thought that they were totally self dependent but I failed to realize how much other cultures aided them in their daily lives such as the African American Slaves, and the Native Americans.
I learned several things about the colonial families that I found rather interesting. The first thing was that sexual matters were discussed openly. Because much of the daily living took place in common rooms, children were not sheltered from knowledge of sexual matters. Another thing was that well-to-do families often employed wet nurses to breast-feed and care for infants so that mothers cold concentrate their attention on household duties. The thing I found most unusual of colonial families was the “stubborn child” laws in early New England that prescribed the death for persistent disobedience to parents. The only thing I really found unusual about the African American families was that slave communities exhibited a high degree of sexual equality. This pattern has been linked to the slaves’ African heritage and to the similar work roles they had on the plantations, where women worked alongside men in the fields and in the master’s house. Although slave parents did not have legal authority over their own children, there is considerable evidence to show that both women and men had ongoing involvement with their families and that both sexes participated in child rearing. And finally Native American Families. I think that the thing I found most interesting about Native Americans was that mothers nursed their children for two or more years and refrained from sexual intercourse until the child was weaned. And also Native American parents rarely used physical punishment to discipline their children. Instead, they relied on praise, ridicule, and public rewards to instill desired behavior.
The Essay on The traditional family in American society?
Definition of family: The Western world regards the family as consisting of two or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption; also known as a nuclear family. The extended family includes grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. The changing family: At one time families worked together on farms, family trade, etc. They worked as a family to provide for the family. ...
