Straying from Tradition

Tradition is really important when it comes to certain things because it can help you connect with your culture better, but there is a downside to tradition too, it can also keep you in the past where gender roles are prevalent.  Traditional gender roles have played a huge role in society and the media because what they depict alters our view of what's normal and right although at times that is not true. Why is it that the media chooses to show the mother of the household in the kitchen cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry while the father lounges in the living room watching tv?  This is just one example of a traditional gender role.  We've come to believe that image and are told not to stray from it even though everyone in a household should have the same responsibilities.

Beneatha from A Raisin in the Sun chooses to stray from the traditional gender roles placed on her by Mama, Ruth, and Walter, but is immediately punished for being herself.  She tells Mama exactly what she thinks and is slapped because of her forward thinking views on society and God.  It's clear that she wants to move forward but can't because her family is subjecting her to the gender roles it deems normal. 

We have to ask ourselves if tradition is worth not progressing into the future because if we continue to stereotype both sexes then we will never be able to develop our society.

Materials Matter

There is so much wrong with today's society and just by looking at the internet I can tell that many people agree with me.  People seem to care only about what someone has and not what they are actually like. We look at celebrities and the first thing that we notice is what they are wearing-- or which brand name designer they are wearing. We look at who has the biggest engagement ring or who has the highest number of carats in it instead of what these celebrities are contributing to society. From a young age, it is drilled into us that money and socioeconomic status are very important to our futures. What most people don't realize is that society has always been judgmental of everything and everyone. Society has always told us that the happiest people are the ones with everything money can buy, but that's simply not true. 

We can see that materialism was prevalent in Gatsby's life due to the fact that he spent his entire life trying to make the maximum amount of money that he could.  Gatsby was so intoxicated by the idea of materialism and attaining everything that he wanted, that he only wanted Daisy just so he could say that he won her over and not because of his love for her. Obviously this worked for Gatsby because not only does he not end up with anyone by his side, he loses Daisy and more importantly his life.  

Thanksgiving "Thankfulness"

There are so many things that each person should be thankful for, but why has Thanksgiving become a day where you eat until you almost burst and wait for Black Friday? It seems as though people have forgotten the true meaning of Thanksgiving and are buying into the Thanksgiving that stores are creating for them.

During this time of year, people used to come together and spend time with their families, but now to spend time with each other they wait in line on Black Friday for the "best" deals of the year. But when does the Black Friday craze go too far? This year many popular retailers opened their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving day; Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target are just a few retailers that opened at 8 pm on Thanksgiving Day.  People buy things just because there is a deal on the item and not because they actually need the product. Obviously, there are people who hate the idea of Black Friday on Thanksgiving because it's less time to spend with your family. But if we've already ruined the meaning of Thanksgiving then why is it a problem?

The attitude that "more is better" can be seen in the 1920's also.  The idea of having everything seemed too good to be true, so money was spent lavishly. Although times have changed and people have become more money conscious, there is still a sense of "more is better" or else why would people buy unnecessary things?