A myth is an idea that people presume to be correct however it is not. A myth is a widely held idealized conception of an unproven or ambiguous idea. Myths remind us how things were before in the distant past, and serve in explaining our outlook on an idyllic world. Myths have an astonishing impact on society because people tend to comply and follow through with the traditional standards endorsed by society. People tend to accept these misconceptions because these implications are embedded into us as we grow up. These myths have an enormous power over us by shaping the way we think and perceive the world.
For instance, myths such as “Myth of the Model Family” and the “Myth of Education and Empowerment” are examples of myths that have insinuated into our thinking. Rereading America is an Anthology that presents numerous aspects on both myths, which are prevalent in today’s society. These myths have served as misconceptions; however, they have had a powerful influence in the thinking of society. The Myth of the Model Family and the Myth of Education and Empowerment are both false notions that have an extensive combination of influence in a negative and positive manner.
These myths have endured for a long time; however, the passing of time has changed the perception of the myths. Millions of Americans work to fulfill the dream of the Model Family. The desire to have a Dad, Mom, a couple of kids, maybe a dog, and a spacious suburban home makes up the vision of the ideal nuclear family. This vision is a template that Americans strive for because it is portrayed as the traditional norm in society. The myth has been able to endure for many years through the medium of technology. “For several decades we have absorbed our strongest impressions of the family from television. (Colombo 20). Our never-ending fascination with televisions families such as the Andersons on Father Knows Best, has glorified the comforts of loving domesticity. Author and poet Gary Soto describes in “Looking for Work”, that “This was the summer when I spent the morning in front of the television that showed the comfortable lives of white kids. ” (Soto 24).
Soto was attracted to the family life depicted on TV because their lives were much easier and comfortable than his. “There were no beatings, no rifts in the family, Leave It to Beaver was the program I replayed in my mind. (Soto 25). He had the desire to be the same way as the families displayed on TV. He watched TV shows that depicted uncomplicated families who had set routines. The American way of life has changed over the past years. The perfect family model that was defined decades ago is not exactly the same. The standard for a perfect family has changed because of culture and society alterations. Even though society has lived their lives around these myths, the model family has become less prevalent in society today.
This myth is dying because today, when something violates the expectations that such myths create, it is not perceived as unnatural anymore. Today’s society introduces new developments of single parent families, and same-sex marriages. Exploitation of same-sex couples on recent Hollywood movies has fractured the myth of the family model. TV shows such as ABC Family’s The Fosters, a show that focuses on the life of a lesbian couple with adopted children is helping society be conscious of alternative family models.
We are being exposed to alternative way of family models, and although LGBT members do not fit the criteria of the nuclear family model, it does not mean that LGBT couples with children are doing something wrong. The image of the Model Family is a false representation of families in America. This myth proves to be slowly fading away. According to the U. S. Census Bureau nearly 14 million American households are headed by only a woman and have a father absent in the family. Furthermore, as nearly 70% of American households are childless. CNN, an online news website states hat according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey there are 9 million LGBT adults and 251,698 same-sex married couples in the United States.
Just because we were not brought up with same-sex marriages, it does not imply that it is an inherently bad thing. We live in a world of rapid changes, and as we move forward, our opinions grow and we gain new ideals. Education is often seen as one of the main pathways to achieving empowerment. Obtaining an education is still something people value in today’s society. “The chance to learn. etter oneself, and gain the skills that pay off in upward mobility has sustained the hope of millions. ” (Colombo 105). Educational empowerment leads to self-improvement and enables citizens to be more active and contribute to the quality of our social and economic life. A certain level of education is essential for an individual to obtain a high salary paying job.
In chapter 2 “Learning Power”, from Rereading America the U. S. Census Bureau states, that the annual earnings of U. S. workers with a professional degree was $127,803, as opposed to the $20,241 a year that U. S. workers without a high school diploma. There is a substantial difference of $107,562 between these educational levels. Colombo states in Rereading America, that education reassures us that we are created equal and that the path to achievement lies through individual effort and hard work, not blind luck or birth. In “From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work” author Jean Anyon states, that schools in wealthy communities are better than those in poor communities, and that they better prepare their students for desirable jobs. … concluded that fifth graders of different economic backgrounds are already being prepared to occupy particular rungs on the social ladder.
In a sense, some whole schools are on the vocational educational track, while others are geared to produce future doctors, lawyers, and business leaders. ” (Anyon 163-164). Education does not quite empower people, nor is it equivalent to knowledge. The myth that education leads to empowerment is not accurate because there are certain groups that receive an education that does not fully empower them.
Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, an online website that covers issues in diversity in American higher education states that “Low-income, African-American and Hispanic students continue to face significant disparities in access to quality educational opportunities and resources at the K-12 level – including access to services critical for college success”. Education can not allow empowerment for these children because they are being denied the educational opportunities they need to succeed and grow.
The schools that these minority groups are attending are not adequately providing marketable skills that the economy demands. Schools in America should all have the same standards and quality of education. Adolescents from low-income families are being stripped away from educational empowerment. “The procedure is usually mechanical, involving role behavior and very little decision making or choice. ” The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance” (Anyon 167).
Schools in working-class neighborhoods are not receiving work that develops one’s analytical intellectual skills, ability to understand concepts, and applications of concepts to solve problems. Anyon proves how affluent communities have more opportunities than people from low socio-economic backgrounds. He also proves how “exclusion from the pond” is in effect in his article “From Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum of Work”. Schools are designed to virtually program students for success or failure according to their socioeconomic status.
Educational empowerment clearly is still a myth because school’s specific groups attend are programed to lead them to a manual or clerical job. Education has been part of history with the function to serve as an intrinsically valuable asset. The youth is constantly being told that education is the key to success. However, some are being “excluded from the pond” based on socioeconomic status and race. In College At Risk, Andrew Delbanco, notes that American higher education was built on the premise that human capital is widely distributed among social classes.
Selective nonprofit colleges are failing to enroll significant numbers of students from low-income families. They are reinforcing the discrepancies of wealth and opportunity in American society. The myth of the model family used to be the fundamental unit of our society, but now nuclear families are disintegrating. Nuclear families was an ideal goal that many had, however the myth is not as powerful in today’s society. Our collective vision of the family has grown darker and become impaired. Educational empowerment is not in accordance with the myth that an education empowers individuals.
Some schools contain students that do not get empowered through “education” because they do not receive the standard education that some privileged children do. These students are not able to self-improve and contribute to society. These myths make people ponder about themselves; whether our families fit into the nuclear family model, or if we are products of the injustice in the educational system. People should respected others family construction. The myth of a model family should represent a holistic loving family
