WEEK 1 - Trial: The Discourse, Ideology & Politic of "Family"

(As, what I would like to call, a "fruitful" first attempt in making this blog a success (and not just another-dream-on-the-sidewalk), I will try my best and express what I think on the discourse, ideology and politic of "family", with regards to this week's topic.)

The Discourse of “family”

Watching the US hit animated television series, Family Guy, with my siblings – shooting up with wild remarks, hooting with laughter and constant imitation of Stewie’s contagious sadistic lines, sometimes makes me wonder: what exactly is “family”?

Is it Peter, acting the “head honcho” of the group, that makes a family? Is it Lois – what seemed to be the only sane person among all the insanities that seem to run amok in the family? Or is it simply the presence of Brian the dog that makes the day passing by seem ‘livelier’ than an otherwise mundane day?

What is a “family”?

Is it that man who constantly buggers us to stop eating junk foods, whom I called “dad”? Is it the constant screaming that I had with my sister fighting for the bathroom each morning? Or is it the little brother who’d be my direct victim of The Unimaginable Wrath whenever the chocolate supplies ran dry?

There are many different definitions of “family”. An online reference dictionary, Dictionary.com, define “family” as "a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not".

The Ideology of “family”

Sturken and Cartwright (2009) defined Ideologies as "systems of belief that exist within all cultures" (p.22-23)

So, what belief does a “family” brings?

According to Holtzman (2005) cultural conceptions of the family have traditionally been "associated with two married parents and their biological children" (p. 168). This matches with the definition of “family” as mentioned previously.

So, what does a"family" share in common? Surnames? Favourite foods? Favourite teams? Maybe.

But, what is obvious is this: Family is consequential and responsible for modeling communication, reinforcing behavior, sharing values and a confluence of images of what constitutes a family (Edwards&Graham, 2009, p. 191). There are certain ways in which you hug, a little peek on the cheek, a family that you just don't do the same outside the circle. The ways in which you scream at each other, and barely remember it the next day, the things that you only talk to them and not anyone else, the way they seem to be the only right reason when everything else went wrong, and the list goes on.

Family is the first thing every human had in the whole world, regardless if they are poor, rich, if they are Asian or Western. Family is where everything starts: where you first learned to love the person who taught you your first word, your first walk; where you first learned to get angry when you cannot have your cone of ice-cream; where you first learned how to forgive afterward when they kiss you on the cheek; where you first learned how to share with your siblings the chocolate bar that you received; where you first learned how to stand up after you fall; you learned how to believe in yourself; you learned to believe in someone else; you learned religion; and again - the list goes on.

In this sense,the ideology that a "family" brings include: sense of belonging, the sense of unity, sense of loving; sense of integrity, sense of forgiveness, sense of faith.

But, is this always the case? What happen to those who grew up in an seemingly "harsh" environment? Family living in the streets with crimes happening like they are part of their lives? A "breaking" family due to parental issues?

All these questions raise the final point: the politic of family.

The Politic of "family"

Politic, as mentioned by Dr. Chris during the lecture, means "the struggle over meaning".

All this while I mentioned how "family" seem to be bringing the ideology of a "warm, loving" environment. A "breaking" family raises the issue of unity, sense of belonging and loving. It struggles over the meaning of these components. When a "family" is "breaking down" such as parents filing a divorce, do the unity still remains? Are the rest of the family members feel they still belong to one another?

References:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/family

Edwards, P. A. & Graham, E. E. (2009). The Relationship Between Individuals’ Definitions of Family and Implicit Personal Theories of Communication. Journal of Family Communication, 9: 191–208.

Holtzman, M. (2008). Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond. Journal of Family Communication, 8: 167–185.


Images:
http://pauljlane.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/16163.jpg
http://handsonblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/FamilyStudies.jpg

Note: As this is a trial,and my first attempt, I am sorry that most of my reference are from the unscholarly source.