The White Upper-Class Fetishization of the Family Dinner

[arm_chair_rebel]

These studies have been tossed around for several years now--kids that routinely sit down for a shared family dinner get better grades, are less likely to do drugs, etc. Of course these studies fail to say whether this is about correlation rather than cause and effect. For example, doesn't the ability to sit down for a family dinner point to , some

Comments

[b_vainamoinen]

This is just more of the old "An American Tradition is anything that happened to a Baby Boomer twice" shit that we're soaking in so much these days.

The Baby Boomers are also crazy about making a virtue of necessity. They love that shit. I'm sure that before I die, I will see breathing turned into a "trend."

[arm_chair_rebel]

I guess i really don't see this as a boomer issue. Many of the books are written by X'ers. I was thinking maybe a reaction to being the first generation of latch key kids? The first generation of high divorce among parents. If you look at movies about family life, growing up in the 80's it paints a picture of children, teens on their own.

I do also see it as very class based. People get to feel all ethically superior by feeding their families. Grandma didn't get to feel all special coz she got to make dinner!

The family dinner seems like one if the shackles the boomers wanted to toss off!

[viscero]

Correlation is the hack journalist's/writer's best friend. You can point the causation in whichever direction suits whichever trendy concept you're trying to capitalize on.

[frankintheswamp]

Of course not, FLOSSING is the key to a good life.

[ext_1462056]

Ha, ha... I totally agree. We'll be hearing a lot about the importance of family dinner in the year to come. Have you seen the little boxes you can buy, called "Family Time Fun : Dinner Games" or "Table Topics" or any of those boxes with cards for family conversation?