Commercialistic media corrupts familial traditions

David Rigsby Rigsby is a second-year political
science student who is still bitter about the premature celebration
of the "new millennium." You can e-mail him at [email protected]. Click
Here for more articles by David Rigsby

Around this time of year, I spend more time than I usually do
thinking about some of my family’s traditions. This time of
year focuses my attention on my immediate family because March
holds a holiday that we celebrate in an unusual way: St.
Patrick’s Day.

The 17th of March is special because it gives my family a chance
to celebrate its cultural roots. Even though I’m only
one-eighth Irish (hey, when you’re a “European
Mutt,” like I am, you hold onto anything you can trace back
far enough), St. Patrick’s Day is a time when I can recognize
what it means to be Irish, and the struggles endured by Irish
immigrants.

My parents have always been strong advocates of the
“wearing o’ the green,” and I wear it with pride.
But, we do have a few unconventional traditions that some people
find peculiar. Instead of the “traditional” meal of
corned beef and cabbage, which is a dish rooted in New England and
not Ireland, my family sits down to a meal of hamburgers, home-made
french fries, and mint green milkshakes. I have never questioned
why we practice this, because it is one of those instances where:
“that’s just the way things are.”

Yes, there is a point to this story, and no, this is not an
episode of “The Wonder Years.” Every family practices
traditions, and many of those traditions are linked to government,
cultural or spiritual holidays. If a person reflects for a few
minutes, they are almost guaranteed to find something unique in the
way that their family celebrates a particular holiday. The
tradition could be anything from a meal, to a song, to flying
across the country.

These family practices, while perhaps silly at times, should be
cherished and held onto for future generations. The problem with
family traditions is that they are a poor match against mainstream
society. Slowly, but surely, these practices are eroding from the
influence of commercialism and the mass media.

  Illustration by GRACE HUANG/Daily Bruin Commercialism has
plagued many holidays and traditions, and whenever Americans think
about the issue the first holiday that comes to mind (Christians or
not) is Christmas. I am not going to discuss all of the issues
concerning the commercialism of Christmas, or the “true
meaning” of the holiday, because there is an animated Charlie
Brown special that deals with all of that. It should be pointed out
that commercialism does not only influence gift exchanges, but
other areas of the celebration of Christmas.

For instance, some family friends used to leave hot cocoa out
for Santa Claus, and they considered it a special tradition. But,
after the young children in the family saw a certain ad from the
“Got Milk?” campaign, they begged their parents to
leave out milk instead of cocoa. They were afraid that Santa would
take their Christmas tree and presents, just like in the commercial
they saw on television. Commercialism not only influences what we
buy, but what we practice.

The mass media has the same homogenizing effect that
commercialism has. Newscasts are especially good in their ability
to change behaviors of people based on stories that they report.
Think of it as a lemming, or mob effect. These stories inform the
public what the community does to celebrate holidays, but they also
change the actions of the public.

Every Mother’s Day, news crews flock to restaurants around
eleven in the morning to catch the crowds of people taking their
moms to brunch. My own family is guilty of losing a family
tradition based on what we saw on television. When I was much
younger, my older sister and I would wake up early and make my mom
breakfast in bed. Then one year, while watching the news, someone
had the idea of taking mom out, “just like everyone else
does.”

Sometimes the media is in direct conflict with the purpose of
the holiday. Take Veterans Day. It was originally founded as
“Armistice Day,” a celebration of the end of World War
I. Since then it has become a day to remember America’s armed
forces that have given their lives for their country. There are
still many who celebrate this day by visiting cemeteries, or
hanging flags in their yards.

But on the news, Veterans Day weekend is seen as an opportunity
to start the skiing season. Some families have started traditions
involving getting away for the weekend, rather than taking the time
out to realize the significance of the holiday.

The same holds true for most of the three-day weekend holidays.
Labor Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, and even Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day are a few of the holidays that should involve family
traditions that don’t specifically involve a day at the lake,
or a day in the snow. The media represents some of the true aspects
of these holidays, but it does put a fair amount of pressure on
people not to focus on their newly developed traditions.

New Year’s Eve 1999 was one of the most sensationalized
holidays of modern history. Reporters spent an entire year covering
the Y2K scare, and every network had cameras in every major city
starting at the International Date Line. “Celebrate the new
millennium with style,” the advertisers said. Pressures
influenced the public to either move underground or hit the town
and celebrate in a brand new way. There was a lot of profit to be
made from the start of the “new millennium,” and little
room for traditional practices.

It is amusing that so much hoopla could be created over an event
that was completely constructed by the media. It was as if a couple
of suits sat around a table and decided when the new millennium
would begin, and how people would celebrate it.

Family is very important and politicians on both sides of the
spectrum like to talk about the degradation of family values. What
is often neglected is the degradation of family traditions, in lieu
of mainstream traditions. What makes families special and
interesting is their uniqueness, and I wonder what ramifications
this loss of uniqueness could have on society. Americans pride
themselves on their individuality, but with the mass media throwing
images at us about what is the “right” way to celebrate
a holiday, it leads to a slippery slope.

There is something about family traditions and holidays that are
sacred and special, and when we think back on them we feel better
than we did before. Why do we feel better? A loss of diversity in
any area is a shame, and this area is no exception.