Families NOT the Source of All Evil
According to Barbara Ehrenreich in “Are Families Dangerous?,” families are the most dangerous place to be, because of several reasons. First, for women the most unsafe place to be is inside her own home. This is because the people who love you the most are the ones who abuse and murder their loved ones. According to Charles Fourier, “the family is the barrier to human progress,” which leads me to believe that Ehrenreich is trying to portray the family as a downside to our society instead of a positive aspect of our lives. Subsequently, there is no such thing as the “functional” family, each and every family needs counseling and policies to provide guidance. Families cause damage to children because of a constant attack on one’s self esteem. Most importantly, according to Ehrenreich families are the source of violence within our world, she believes if we would disband our families our world would be a much improved living environment.
The article I discussed was, “Are families dangerous?,” by Barbara Ehrenreich. This article gave copious reasons for what the family does to destroy ones self esteem or even ones physical well being. Ehrenreich stated numerous facts that supported her view upon the American family. She used two human sources, one being Charles Fourier (French Philosopher) and a British anthropologist by the name of Edmund Leach. Both of these men agreed that the family was the source of all evil within our society. She also used specific court cases that indicated domestic violence within the home. Each of these cases are widely known to Americans, due to the media coverage on each case. Allowing her to illustrate the numerous occasions domestic violence has occurred within in society.
When my group discussed the facts that she brought forward within the article we each came to the conclusion that families are NOT the source of all evil in this world. Although, she cited an abundance of sources, we all believe families are what makes a child a proper and well-caring human being.
In chronicling how the family structure has changed in America, it is important to understanding how family was actually defined. When referencing Leave it to Beaver (further referred to as LITB) times, family took on a substantive definition, or the idea that family was equivalent to relative, or related by blood or law. While this definition of family served the time period, it failed to evolve with society. For that reason, sociologists set out to determine a “more inclusive functionalist definition,” that focuses on what families do. “A functionalist definition of families focuses on how families provide for the physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals and of society as a whole” (Witt). With that, the functionalist perspective identifies six primary functions, which include reproduction, socialization, protection, regulation of sexual behavior, affection and companionship, and...
The Civil war was possibly the greatest tragedy that this country had ever faced. Years of constant arguing, compromises and cynical ideas about slavery pushed this so called "United Nation" into an atrocious collision between the Northern abolitionists and the Southern proslavery farmers and plantation owners. The nation suffered enormous losses economically and went into a downward spiral. The reconstruction period began with many leaders stepping up to try and fix this crippled country, but it didn't turn out like everyone hoped. Slavery was still the largest issue and the reconstruction halted because of the disagreements the people faced. After many years of working, compromising and passing laws, the task proved itself to be impossible, as the country remained to be separated. The lack of unity was present because most of the amendments, laws and rules passed during reconstruction were created to protect and ensure the rights of African Americans. However the South continued to promote slavery and "putting blacks in their place" until the 1950's.
In 1619, slaves from Africa started being shipped to America. In the years that followed, the slave population grew and the southern states became more dependent on the slaves for their plantations. Then in the 1800s slavery began to divide America, and this became a national conflict which lead to the Civil War. Throughout history, groups in the minority have risen up to fight for their freedom. In the United States, at the time of the Civil War African Americans had to fight for their freedom. African Americans used various methods to fight for their freedom during the Civil War such as passing information and supplies to the Union Army, escaping to Union territory, and serving in the Union’s army. These actions affected the African Americans and the United States by helping the African Americans earn citizenship and abolishing slavery in the United States.
Does anyone ever remember the first time someone said the silly childhood saying” Knock on wood.” Or even felt the infamous scare of when a black cat crosses their path because it was said to cause bad luck? These things are cultural superstitions that are normally used when trying to define why the most outlandish things happen to someone during their day. Some superstitions are used as to bring good luck and even protection, for example a young child may keep their blanket to keep the monsters at bay and to bring them comfort when they feel scared or even a Catholic wearing a cross necklace. Some may not agree with a religious figure being related to superstition, but in reality what is the difference between a cross necklace and a stuffed animal? Not much, when reading and comparing Margret Meads “New Superstitions for Old” and Langston Hughes “Salvation” there have been many similarities when between superstitions to the belief in God but one conclusion has been made when comparing both texts:
The Civil War took place from 1861-1865. And this war was caused over the dispute of slaves. The U.S was continuing to add states and the south wanted the states to become slave states, but the North wanted the states to be free states. This is when we realized we had many problems with our country and we needed to fix them. And the end of the war came with a great outcome. The ending of this war ended slavery for the whole U.S. Meaning that all African Americans in the U.S. were free. And they no longer had to be under slavery. This war was the one to end the 245 years of slavery we had in the U.S. And that changed our country
After the Civil War, America went through a period of Reconstruction. This was when former Confederate states were readmitted to the Union. Lincoln had a plan that would allow them to come back, but they wouldn’t be able to do it easily. He would make 10% of the population swear an oath of loyalty and establish a government to be recognized. However, he was assassinated in Ford’s Theater and Andrew Johnson became the president; Johnson provided an easy path for Southerners. Congress did their best to ensure equal rights to freedmen, but failed because of groups who were against Reconstruction, white southern Democrats gaining control within the government and the lack of having a plan in place for recently freedmen.
Rachel Dolezal was head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) division in Spokane, Washington, from 2014 until June 15, 2015, when she stepped down because of claims that she had told lies about her racial identity and additional details of her life. She drew the press’s scrutiny when her caucasian mother and father said publicly that Dolezal was a caucasian female being taken as black. Dolezal’s situation brings to light issues regarding the social construction of race, racial hierarchy, racialization, and the creation of ethnic identity.
Following the American Civil War, the whole nation was forever changed and was the result of many good and bad things. Although it was a very costly war and was So, the Civil War did define us and made us the good and the bad things we are and led to an extremely significant change because slavery was abolished once and for all and African American rights followed many years later, the Federal Government imposed more power over the states, our country was divided for a while, and it left the nation in debt due to the fact that we fought each other.
First let us examine the cultural implications the Civil War had on us today. Today in America we are we are shaped as a culture by diversity, and dreams. By diversity I mean we are a culture that though, dominantly white, is full of many ethnicities of pe...
The Civil War is one of the most important events in United States history. The conflict changed the lives of millions and forever left an indelible mark on this country. The enormity of the conflict makes us wonder how “We the People” became a people divided. It is important to understand the core themes and narratives that led to the war between the states. In my view, there were numerous issues that led to deep sectional divisions that eventually led to war. However, I feel there are three core themes that drew the sections into war were nullification, radical abolitionism, and political realignment. Additionally, I feel the ideas of these three themes were represented by Dred Scott, John Brown, and Stephen A. Douglas, respectively.
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were
Today in America, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of violent crime that takes place. Watching the nightly news, one could take a tally of the numerous attacks and deaths that are reported. Violence is not a new phenomenon, however. From Cain murdering Abel, to massacres at villages being raided, to the atrocities of the Holocaust, and the attacks of September 11, 2001, violence is ever present. The focus of this paper is a subset of violence, domestic violence. The societal question being posed in this paper is: Has domestic violence increased over the past twenty five years or is it just being reported better? While it may seem like a simple question, the answer is quite perplexing. Though there has been a statistical reduction in domestic violence, domestic violence continues to be an epidemic (Montaldo, Vagianos).
This essay will examine the nature and extent of domestic and family violence and define how and why it is considered a social problem today. It will consider what it involves, the extent and frequency of it in society, and who is most affected by it.
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, family refers to “a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head.” Family can be seen as the most important aspect in life and what mostly everyone values the most. Furthermore it can be considered as a universal institution which includes people that are related by blood and emotionally. Within society, there exists the idea of a “Model Family.” First of all, this model includes married parents with kids. However, the dissolution of a marriage challenges the socially approved idea of a “Model Family.” As a consequence, the family moves to being a single parent structure, since there is only one living with the kids. The separation of a couple is the result of a process whose crisis starts with