politically sensitive labels

[Page Stephens]

For your information I am putting up an article I wrote for another list
about the current ideological use of "the family."

I wrote it in a political context on a conservative list so please excuse
its polemical tone. I thought, however, that it might bring a little light
into the current discussions of the politicization of the word "family" and
by extension "the family".  I just thought it might be of interest to you
and clarify a few issues.

Page Stephens

How many of you have listened to our politicians telling us that the basis
of all societies is the family.

Had any of my students written that on an exam in anthropology 1 I would
have flunked them because it is absolute nonsense.

The only socio-cultural formations which were ever family based were even
marginally family based were marginal hunting and gathering groups who lived
in areas where it was impossible to form higher level groups because they
were unable technologically to support more than very small groups as per
the Great Basin Shoshone. This also accounts for the fact that they had
bilateral kinship terminologies which were appropriate to such forms of
social formation. But even the Great Basin Shoshone gathered into larger
groups when they were able to do it as during the season when pine nuts were
plentiful and when they hunted antelope which of necessity required larger
numbers of people than the family could provide.

The fact is that families are functional groups within an environment writ
large, i.e. in terms of both physical/technological limitations and the
functional demands of larger scale social formations.

The Shoshone were the exception rather than the rule, moreover, and you find
very few other examples of even marginally family based socio-cultural
formations.

This is a fact whether our politicians want to recognize it or not their
incessant quest for office quite often overcomes their common sense and lack
of knowledge of  anthropology.

Even hunting and gathering groups which had access to more fertile
environments such who lived in fertile areas such as along river banks where
fish were combined into larger socio cultural groups.

There is a feed back problem here because such marginal groups as the Great
Basin Shoshone were unable to develop higher levels of technology because of
their migratory existence.

This brings up the recent nonsense which George W. Bush among others is
promulgating to the public in terms of marriage as something which underlies
and always has underlain every society which has ever existed and that
therefore we need to pass a constitutional amendment which would forbid gays
from marrying.

His and their ignorance is so sublime that it would surpass understanding if
we did not know that he and they were attempting to bounce the boobs, i.e.
the ignoranti in order to get themselves elected or reelected to office by
pulling every cultural string they are able to in order to keep from being
put into the unemployment line.

Most of them I would argue are simply ignorant fools who can on this level
be excused for not knowing the difference between marriage which is a
ceremony and the family which is a functional social unit and who therefore
do not know the difference between the two. I will also excuse them on the
ground of sheer ignorance for suggesting that marriage as we know it is and
has always been a universal in human society even though it has differed in
many ways in different societies.

I will not forgive those of them who thump the Bible without ever having
read it and declare that it suggests that there is one and only one form of
marriage and the family which coincidentally happens to be the one which
those who would elect them to office believe in.

In this case they are not only ignorant of the nature of human
socio-cultural formations but also ignorant of the texts which they claim to
be their authority for their august proclamations.

It makes me want to gag because at least I, a total nonbeliever in the
existence of any gods, spirits, etc., have apparently read the book they
consider to be holy and know more about what it says in terms of marriage
and the family than they do.

I invite you all to read the Bible some day and then tell me if you think
the pronouncements of our politicians on the subject of marriage and the
family have any more relationship to what the Bible says than a snake has
hips.

Then after you have been disillusioned about what our politicians are saying
about the absolute commandments of the god which wrote the holy book they
claim to worship in terms of marriage and the family I invite you to read an
elementary textbook on anthropology.

I am not attempting to disillusion you in terms of your various beliefs in
the existence of gods, spirits, etc.

I am attempting to disillusion you about what our politicians are telling
you in terms of  the universality of "the family" "marriage", etc.

Don't believe me then read the Bible and one you have carefully read it we
can go from there.

Page Stephens

----- Original Message -----
From: "Duane Campbell" <dcamp911 at JUNO.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: politically sensitive labels


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Duane Campbell <dcamp911 at JUNO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: politically sensitive labels
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
>
> On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 13:11:36 -0500 Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> writes:
>
> > It should be noted that "family" itself--in particular, in the
> > generic singular of "the family"--is another of the conservative
> > buzzwords.  Liberals are more likely to refer to "families"
>
> Or more often "workingfamilies." It used to be "workingmen" then
> "workingmenandwomen." But now I guess it includes the kid who mows the
> lawn instead of going to polo practice.
>
> D
>
> I am Duane Campbell and I approve this message