Wow, I'm pretty surprised too that I wasn't roasted for my comments. I was sure there were a few opinions that would certainly rile a few people the wrong way. The strongest reaction I got was for my tipping complaint. Not too shabby overall.
But, before I seem too negative about the family thing... I also think that the family structure is changing as a part of necessity. 100's of years ago the life expectancy wasn't very stable. You NEEDED a strong family because if the harvest was bad this year, or your dad suddenly caught the plague then you had to fall back on your extended family just to survive. That's no longer the reality in the modern world.
Also, divorce is a culturally new phenomenon. With the onset of divorce you get REALLY confusing family structures, and step-kids and step-parents aren't ever fully integrated into their new extended families.
I think it's a reality of prosperity and changing times. While I think it's GREAT there are still stories like Aliantha's, the reality is that it's not a common story any more.
So, it may be a little sad for nostalgic reasons, but I still think it's the future. I'm sure in 50 years the Chinese system will mimic the American family. And it's being helped along with the current out-of-control relocation that's going on in China as families splinter and move all over the country to find the best factory to work in.
My point wasn't to say we need to fix it... rather we need to accept the reality that "family values" is something we've moved away from, and in most cases we count ourselves lucky if the immediate family structure isn't in tatters.
Better to accept the reality, than to listen to another politician's sound-bite for how they are "defending American family values".
Pfft.