Impacts of Sociological Conditions on Family Structures, Individual Behavior, and Well-Being from the Film: Two American Families
Synopsis of Two American Families
In this film, producers trace two American families- the Stanleys, African American and the Neumanns, white, from 1991 through 2000s. They have been evaluating them on their welfare after an interval of two years on the trials they faced through home foreclosures, unexpected medical bills, struggling economy and fractured or strained marital ties. Although the two families had put their hopes on the then flourishing manufacturing jobs to attain their American Dream, the jobs begun disappearing as employers pursued cheap labor elsewhere. Consequently, with the burden of raising five and three kids for the Stanleys and the Neumanns respectively, they had to look for non-union jobs with fewer benefits and lower pays as the last options. The film seems to challenge the popular belief in America that anyone who works hard will achieve the American dream. The two families are really struggling to better their lives by working longer days and hours, but they only get fewer benefits and pays. At the end of the film, the Neumanns are divorced with Terry being virtually homeless. Although there are some scores of success in the Stanley family, members do not feel that the situation will ever improve, as their parents are still doing odd jobs (Hughes and Moyers, “Two American Families”).
Discussion
Impacts of Poor Social Policy on Family and Individual Wellbeings
First, in the whole film, it is notable that the root cause of the families’ problems of not achieving their American dream was the introduction of the social policy of minimum wages. Before the social policy, the families were supported with union blue collar manufacturing jobs. When the producers meet the Neumanns and the Stanleys later, the jobs had disappeared as manufacturers were shifting to zones with cheap labor. The new non-union jobs could not make them to afford basic needs such as housing and education for their children despite working until they reached sixty years of their ages. The resulting insufficient incomes induce anxiety in individuals and families to result in crises and marriage fractures for members of such class. Tony and Terry Neumann divorced because they could not sustain their marriage. Although Tony had bought a home in Milwaukee, he happened to be behind its mortgage payment schedule, and consequently, it was foreclosed (Hughes and Moyers, “Two American Families”).
Some people get married with motives of attaching themselves to others as survival means. In such a case there will be less feelings of intimacy between couples (William, Stacy and Wahlstrom114). Although some people say that money cannot be the key determining factor in marriage, lack of it can be the reason for crises and conflicts. According to William, Stacy and Wahlstrom (1 ), some sociological studies have revealed that the more people become richer the more they become happy. When poverty grips the family, it is possible that its members will not be happy. Although money does not buy happiness, one cannot deny that it will buy things that bring pleasure to make the family happy (William, Stacy and Wahlstrom 1). Possibly, when jobs and hence incomes fell in the Neumann’s family, nobody could support the other, leading to a divorce. However, William, Stacy and Wahlstrom (125), note that such love will be immature, because a mature love will have lovers who are stable, caring and respectful of each other. In this regard, they will be able to handle conflicts and crisis maturely, taking in mind that they are parental materials. Apparently, the Neumanns do not seem to be matures soul mates in their marriage because despite Terry saving money to buy a home, he could not support his family to settle the mortgage in the home they had lived for 24 years with their kid Adam (Hughes and Moyers, “Two American Families”).
Impacts of Religious Commitment on Individual Behaviors in Marriage
The Stanleys are very much devoted to their religion, and in fact Claude is a minister in the church. The family is very virtuous and dedicated to education of their children. Courtesy of the religion, even though the family is among those that are struggling parents do not seem to divorce. It is evident that despite the level of poverty, when there are moral values and personal responsibilities in the family, divorce is unlikely. In this regard, with such united hope and responsibility, the family manages to produce Keith Stanley as its first person with a college degree to get a good job. Moreover, Klaudale, its second person, is now a military contractor in Afgahnstan (Hughes and Moyers, “Two American Families”). The religion teaches agape or altruistic love without conditions that never ends. According to this love, people will always be unselfish and self-sacrificing. In this regard, when all members of a family are believers of the church, they will always be tending to fulfill others’ needs at the expense of their own needs (William, Stacy and Wahlstrom 118).
Impacts of Lack of Social Safety Nets on the Well beings of Members of Lower Classes- Middle Class
The producers of this film tend to mock the whole belief that anybody who works hard in America will be successful. Members of the two families are dedicated to working hard in longer hours to ensure that their families gets better habitat, education and other aspects of wellbeing. In fact they hate going on the dole that the government provides. Despite working harder than some lazy government officials, these struggling families cannot afford medical costs and their habitats. Overflowing responsibilities cause them to work odd jobs until they are over 60 years. For them, retirement does not mean anything, as they will continue working until they die on their heels (Hughes and Moyers, “Two American Families”). It is practically unfair that the society is not showing any sympathy and social safety net support for such virtuous families. Provision of such support will reduce violence, crises, disasters and abuses that involve couples and children (William, Stacy and Wahlstrom chap. 13), and, therefore divorce (William, Stacy and Wahlstrom chap. 14).
Works Cited
Hughes, Kathleen and Moyers, Bill, dirs. "Two American Families". PBS. 2013/
Documentary 8. Imdb. 2014, < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/two-american-families/>
Williams, Brian K., Sawyer, Stacey C. and Wahlstrom, Carl M. Marriages, Families, &
Intimate Relationships. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print.
