The Ideal Family, Capitalism and Homosexuality

     At the time when this article was written, American policy was against the formation of marriage bonds (legally) and undermined the formation of same-sex families. The ideal American family is the so called ‘nuclear’ family: the mother, the father and the two or so children. But times are changing; social policy and values are shifting slightly toward acceptance through increased access to social networks outside of the individual’s living space (the internet). However, I do agree with D’Emilio when he explains that major advances in gay rights were made in the 1970’s and has slowed since. Yet the last few years have yielded victories in the way of legal marriage (in some states) and possibly less discrimination (certainly less than in earlier years). The reason I say possibly is because I am aware of opposite sentiments, yet I am a firm believer in gay rights and I have a gay uncle that was recently married. I have spoken to him about discrimination and the changes that have occurred over the years and he does sense some lessening in the general animosity toward openly gay couples.

            In our time of internet networking and rapid world (or nation)-wide communication enables communities and groups to correspond and relay pertinent information as well as create meetings and movements with the push of a button. Also, through social networking, individuals are able to communicate and network with other individuals (like individuals) that they most likely would have never known (i.e. a young, confused individual with another young, confused individual living across the country). People who would otherwise simply be individuals (not belonging to a group) may be able to find an online community or a group to which they may belong and create an identity with.

            The social change wrought by the introduction of the internet and novel methods of social networking models the change in social structure brought by capitalism in the 19^th century. Before capitalism, the family was an ‘independent interdependent unit’ that created its own food supply and materials to sustain it. With the onset of capitalism, men began to work for wages and become dependent upon the market, but women still created the goods in the home (however, women at this point had to buy the materials using the husband’s wages). When true capitalism came about, both men and women became dependent upon the market and the distinction between the ‘personal life’ and the ‘work life’ was formed. Thus, the family became a mutually satisfactory relationship between husband and wife who create a nurturing environment for children. This was a great social change that affected the majority and eventually the entirety of the American population. The internet and networking has also affected the whole of the American population in equally paramount ways and is changing the manner of social interactions between individuals, families, homosexuals, heterosexuals…everyone. I believe that internet networking is the new method of creating movements and manufacturing social change. (I do not believe it is the only way, but the most populous way – i.e. twittering the decision to run for president).