Them Before Us

[Skull]

This recent book & movement is about putting Them=kids before Us=adults. That is the traditional way, but modern times have strained, even destroyed the family. Here is the principle author Katy Faust being interviewed about Them Before Us:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xYrRDC1mpo

[Chris]

Agree, I guess, though I think Faust goes too far. IOW, the reaction to parents first shouldn't be children first, but simply family first. As you even say, "That is the traditional way, but modern times have strained, even destroyed the family."

And actually, the family and other natural social institutions as traditionally was the case, as argued by someone like Robert Nisbet in say Twilight of Authrotiy.

Deneen has a wonderful essay, "Awakening from the American Dream" in Conserving America?, about movies like Capra's "It's a Wondeful Life" and Levinson's Avalon" and the breakdown of the extended family into the nuclear during the 30s, 40s, 50s. I myself grew up my first 5 years in the early 50s in one upstairs apartment with my parents, next to another with my uncle and his wife, in the fam house owned by my grandmother. All before the race to the suburbs and single-family dwellings. --Not the only change of course, another was the shift from life in city streets on front porches to life in the suburbs on fenced in backyard patios....

An earlier Enlightened change took place prior to and leading up to the American Revolution, from patriarchal, hierarchical families where the father, the eldest was king of the castle to almost turning that upside down. Arguments even from the pulpits about how to raise kids went from blaming children when they misbehaved to blaming the parents. That mirrored the change from the view of the patriarchal, hierarchical monarchy of Medieval Europe based on obligation and loyalty, to one of social contract between the people and king as argued by Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke. This is chronicled in great detail from source material by Wood in his The Radicalism of the American Revolution.

It's not just Enlightened liberalism and enfranchisement under democracy but also the atomized individualism brought about by industrialization and capitalism.

Anyway, some thoughts, hopefully on topic.

[RMNIXON]

You still hear about all these young adults living with their parents, but with broken family structures how many generations does that last I wonder?

:thinking:

[Chris]

You still hear about all these young adults living with their parents, but with broken family structures how many generations does that last I wonder?

:thinking:

In the old days, sons and daughters worked and took care of retired parents. Today it's just the reverse.

[midcan5]

In the old days, sons and daughters worked and took care of retired parents. Today it's just the reverse.

You live in deep Lalaland, provide some proof for such nonsense. I come from a large extended family and while a sister helped mom everyone did it on their own. And our / all the the sons and daughters do it on their own. Get out of your closet sometime.



And the Ruth institute is another conspiracy religious wacko group.


https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/ruth-institute

[Peter1469]

In the old days, sons and daughters worked and took care of retired parents. Today it's just the reverse.

That is why social security was created. As America industrialized families spread out and didn't provide the support for elders as they had in the past.

Ignore the idiot response above.

[Chris]

You live in deep Lalaland, provide some proof for such nonsense. I come from a large extended family and while a sister helped mom everyone did it on their own. And our / all the the sons and daughters do it on their own. Get out of your closet sometime....

You just gave your own counterexample with your sister. Isn't it great when you find yourself arguing with yourself?

As I described my family above, my grandmother was supported by my mother, her daughter, and my dad and my uncle and his wife.

When I say the old days, I mean much older than us.