Parental Manipulation and the Homogenization of Americans

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Parental Manipulation and the Homogenization of Americans

Wooden arms and legs jerking, braided hair flailing, and glassy eyes rolling, the ragged dolls parade the cardboard stage. Their lifeless limbs give the appearance of haphazardry, but I know better than to be deceived by this bumbling surface. Behind the curtained stage, a woman deftly maneuvers the puppet figures; each movement is carefully controlled with a small sleight of hand. A string lifts, and their mouths open. Another tenses, and their arms rise in unison. Silently, they mimic the voices of their master: she who holds the strings.

Watching this puppet scene, I am reminded of a dinner party I once attended. Over a slice of raspberry cheesecake, I remember commenting on my aversion towards women who wore dark lipstick—how they were really just trying to be seductive in a way demeaning to the female community. The moment the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them—not because I didn’t believe what I had said but because I remembered then, that the words were not my own. Not only was I echoing my mother, I also actually believed I was expressing my own sentiments. At times like these, I feel myself being pulled along by strings invisible, propelled by unseen forces—forces that not only influence my outward actions but also my inner character and mentally as well. Under normal circumstances, I am naively unaware of their presence.

In “The Strange Homogenization of Americans,” Gibbs Staff and FA Jones relate that “Americans have been homogenized and conditioned to react in the same way.” They go on to assert that most Americans do not realize they are behaving in a “predictable and programmed manner.” And for a while, I did hold on to that deep-seated...

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...ity Bride as a Cultural Icon.” Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. 2nd ed. Ed. Pat C. Hoy II. and Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 277-81.

Gibbs Staff and FA Jones. “The Strange Homogenization of Americans.” Gibbs Magazine. Date of Posting Unlisted. 26 Oct. 2002. <http://www.gibbsMagazine.com/Our%20strangeness.htm>.

Gorman, Benjamin A. “Toys are Us.” Yale New Haven Teacher’s Institute. Date of Posting Unlisted. 17 Oct. 2002. http://elsinore.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1985/6/85.06.04.x.html>.

Hall, Mitch. “The Plague of Violence: A preventable epidemic.” Checkmate Press, 2002. 28 Oct. 2002. <http://www.nospank.net/hall.htm>.

Nelson, Pamela A. “Toys as History: Ethnic Images and Cultural Change.” Ethnic Images in Toys and Games. Balch Institute. 17 Oct. 2002.<http://www.balchInstitute.org/museum/toys/history.html>.

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