What 'Modern Family' Says about Modern Families

In the article, What 'Modern Family' Says about Modern Families by Bruce Feiler, the highly rated comedy "Modern Family" is analyzed. The creators Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd created this family comedy in order to mimic the contemporary family along with its ups and downs. The show includes characters Jay, the patriarch, with his Colombian trophy wife, Gloria; and her son Manny; Jay's son, Mitchell; his partner, Cam; and their adopted Vietnamese daughter; Jay's daughter, Claire; her husband, Phil; and their three children. The public centered on the gay couple, Mitchell and Cam, and hardly noticed the other unconventional family structures. Moreover, the show is immersed in technology by having characters communicate through cellphone cameras, baby monitors, Ipads, and YouTube videos. In addition, the show is filmed in a unique way. Characters are often shown glancing at the camera to make the viewer feel a part of the family. Internal monologue is also utilized as a tactic to get the viewer immersed in the show. The show continuously features current controversial issues within families in order to portray families internally rather than how families interact with the outside world. One may question whether or not this show actually portrays a modern family. I believe the family does portray a modern family with two loving parents and children. The family is a cohesive group that communicates through technology the same way families do today. I constantly text message my parents and brother rather than sit and communicate face to face at a dinner table, which is often seen on television shows. The show is very relatable and allows its viewers to understand the daily struggles people face within the home. It gives its audience a way to cope with issues that cannot be resolved instantly. The show is also very entertaining and comical. I am interested in seeing what the future episodes will screen as the family grows older.

Gender Neutral Children

Some parents choose to raise their children in a gender neutral way. By doing this, they are not revealing the sex of their child to the public. They allow their children to dress and play with girl and boy toys. They do not want their children to be influenced by the stereotypical gender roles because they believe it limits them to act in one specific way. Two examples of children who were raised gender neutral are Sasha and Storm. Sasha of Canada and Storm of the UK were both born male but friends, family, and acquaintances were not made aware of the sex of these children. Sasha's sex was kept a secret for five years because his parents believed it was hard to keep it a secret when schooling started. Storm did not attend public school. Sasha was referred to as 'the infant' while Storm responded to boy and girl pronouns. Both of these children fall on a wide spectrum when it comes to acting or dressing more male or female. Unfortunately, many critics of this practice believe these families are experimenting on their children and raising them in a poor condition. I do not agree that this practice is for experimentation. I believe these families sincerely believe in limiting the chance of skewing their child's potential by categorizing them into a specific gender. I am interested in the long term effects of this practice and hope more families consider this. It is interesting that both Sasha and Storm prefer to dress in dresses and play with dolls because they do not know the female stereotype that this holds. However, I do believe you can teach children to be open-minded when it comes to playing with different boy and girl toys even with their gender identified. By not addressing a child's gender, the child will most likely have self identity issues and confusion in the future. He or she will eventually catch on to the secret as he or she grows older and experience the evils of the real world stereotypes.

Chapter 62 Summary

In chapter 62, The Political Economy of Privacy on Facebook by Christian Fuchs, the issues of privacy on Facebook are addressed. A new privacy policy has been adopted which causes lots of people to react in differing ways. Facebook is used by over 1.15 billion users which is why it is no surprise that this new policy causes lots of controversy. Moreover, most users of Facebook are not aware of the current policy and disregard the message when Facebook posts that they have a new policy. However, when or if something significant happens to their own privacy, then they are bothered and extremely outspoken about it. The new privacy policy of Facebook is analyzed thoroughly throughout the chapter. It is noted that corporations collect personal data and internet usage and sell it to third party advertising agencies. The users of Facebook are not aware with what information is being taken and shared to these third party agencies. As a result, it is difficult for them to protect themselves. Facebook shares this privacy policy, but the users simply accept it and move on. This policy has made many users upset, but I believe it is helpful because ads are shown to me that I would admire more than random ones. I almost always browse the advertisements shown to me on Facebook and shop through the information given to me. As long as my Facebook pictures are not posted on a billboard, I do not feel anxiety if corporations are sharing my information with advertising companies. I am also surprised with the new policy that Facebook introduced recently with the profiles of individuals who have passed. It interests me of where the future of Facebook will go. 

Social Networks

After spending some time scrolling through Facebook, I have realized that most of the posts on my timeline are from acquaintances rather than friends. These people, mostly girls, post humorous video clips, edited photos, and statuses that come off as bragging. Most of the profile pictures on Facebook are edited to make the girls appear more tan with filters and other mobile apps. In addition, the girls seem to only post pictures that they personally approve of and do not care if the person tagged in the picture does or does not approve of it. For instance, many of my girlfriends become worried whenever they get a notification that they are tagged in a picture. This is the case because they are paranoid about how they look on the Internet. They have this notion that they must appear skinny, tan, and happy in every single picture posted online. 

In contrast, the boys on my timeline post much less frequently and generally talk about politics and sports. They are not concerned about edited pictures of themselves in the way girls are. In my opinion, Facebook pages are gendered and serve as virtual personalities. These pages are not accurate descriptions of the individuals that they represent. They simply show a skewed personality of the person because the owner of the page only posts statuses and pictures that he or she wants everyone to see. It is unfortunate that individuals in college post several pictures of themselves out partying while wearing scandalous outfits. These posts can be seen by future employers and prevent the Facebook user from being hired. Several of my friends try to prevent this from happening by using Facebook names that are not exactly their full name. For example, a girl named Jennifer Smith might have a Facebook name, Jenn Jenn S. It is important for Facebook users to be careful with the things that they post because their posts can be seen by anyone anywhere in the world. 

In the article “Why You (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life” by Danah Boyd, the author explains how many teenagers relate being popular and cool with having a profile on social media. Teenagers and young adults use social media multiple times a day to present themselves and make personal statements about themselves and others. However, these teens are abusing the social media sites and in some instances using it as a form of bullying. Our society needs to take action to prevent the harms of social media within the teenage population. It is important for parents to overlook the pages of teenagers so these teens can prevent themselves from being attacked; parents can also monitor the pages so the teens do not use the social media sites in a negative way. 

Chapter 16 Summary

In chapter 16, The "Rich Bitch": Class and Gender on the Real Housewives of New York City, Michael J. Lee and Leigh Moscowitz analyze how the portrayal of women on the show can have an effect on its audience. This show is drama filled that "takes aim at the consumptive lives of its arriviste heroines." These heroines are generally white females of the upper class with thoughtless attitudes. These women "transgress the traditional gender roles of a supportive friend, nurturing mother, doting wife, and ceaseless caretaker." They neglect their private roles as mothers and their money destroys their self-awareness, friendships, and mothering duties. Viewers of this show feed off of the drama that these women create.

RHW-NYC uses ironic "winks," also known as "The Bravo Wink." These winks alert the viewers that they are about to be in on a secret or to indicate that the audience assumption is about to be violated. They can also indicate an irresponsible thing that one of the "rich bitches" have just done. These winks conclude that the show is filled with irony which allows the viewers to see things that the characters cannot see. The article continues to analyze the ways in which wealth and social class and wealth and social life are major ironies within the show.

The women on this show are seen as bad mothers who neglect their home life for social life. They outsource their motherhood duties to caretakers and nannies who provide meals, social activities, and nurturing behaviors to their children. In my opinion, I would hate to have grown up with a nanny rather than my mother. I would feel neglected and as a result have emotional issues. Television shows like these create horrible role models for their viewers. By watching RHW-NYC, viewers will set unrealistic goals for their families and try to mimic their behaviors. It is important to remember that these shows are simply for entertainment and should never be seen as informative.

Reality Television

The Biggest Loser is a reality television show that features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight. The show aggressively trains the contestants and puts them on a very low calorie diet. The show features extreme physical challenges and the gossip that goes along with it. However, one contestant wrote an article about what the television show does not actually air. In other words, everything you see on the television show is not all reality. These contestants are worked until they are physically spent with bleeding feet, extreme exhaustion, and painful shin splints. Moreover, the trainers are not as motivating as they are when they are being filmed. The trainers humiliate the contestants and bully them until they are in tears calling them very hurtful names. 

I watched the season 16, episode 16 of The Biggest Loser. A competitor that stood out to me was Rob Guiry. He started the show weighing in at 483 pounds and lost over 200 pounds. He is a head coach and residence manager at Western New England University. Being involved with coaching rugby for years, he says in the episode that he always had the mentality that, "bigger was better" for sports. This idea is common in today's society because men are always trying to have big muscular bodies that mimic super heroes and other fictional characters. It is not healthy for men to strive to be these figures that are not capable without steroids and other illegal supplements. In addition, Guiry is very emotional in the episode. He cries on national television because he is upset that he is getting sent back a week and the show in itself is very difficult. A man that is emotional is the opposite of the stereotypical gender role because women are stereotyped to be the emotional ones. However, he is very competitive by striving to be the winner at all times, which is a stereotypical trait of a man. Men are known to be competitive and aggressive individuals. The following link shows a short clip of Guiry's struggle on The Biggest Loser. 

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/video/bobs-back-and-hes-not-alone/2840367?onid=192226#vc192226=1

Chapter 41 Summary

Chapter 41, The Limitations of the Discourse of Norms: Gay Visibility and Degrees of Transgression, by Jay Clarkson analyzes the functions of gay visibility and the role of gender performance in the understanding of sexuality. The chapter comments on two different views of this idea. The two conflicting views come from StraightActing.com, an Internet discussion board for self-identified straight-acting gay men. Some of the gay men from this site argue that "transgressive gender performance, not just same-sex desire, is the root of antigay attitudes" (Clarkson 392).  They believe that homophobia comes from the fear of gender performances rather than same-sex attraction. I believe that gay men, either quietly gay or flamboyant, should take pride in their sexual identity in order for society to recognize the diversity of gay identities. I also believe this will allow society to become more accepting of the LGBTQ culture. The media tends to only show the flamboyant gays as a form of comedy which creates stereotypes for homosexuality and makes it seem like all gay men are this way. If the media were to alter this, I believe the gay community would experience less discrimination and have more rights. In addition, the article makes the point that not all gay people are allies. I agree with this statement because it does not matter what someone's sexual identity is in order for them to have friends of a differing sexual identity.
The first person's opinion on gay visibility from StraightActing.com suggests that gay visibility would improve in quality if gay pride parades were abolished and gay men implemented a strategy of "quietly gay." He believes that these gay pride events and parades are toxic and create hate crimes. He further explains that this quietly gay movement would demonstrate normal men living normal lives. An example of a quietly gay event was when gay couples were standing in line waiting to receive their marriage licenses. This "quiet" event allows the community to reflect on the homosexual culture but does not aggressively rub it in their faces. On the other hand, a challenger to this debate argues that pride has won the gay community more rights, less discrimination, and less fears. This side of the debate rests on the idea that increased visibility results in increased power in the form of acceptance and civil rights. He does not believe that gay men should be quiet when they do not want to. In conclusion, I believe a mixture of these two kinds of events to gain exposure will have rewarding outcomes for the homosexual people.