Guyana and Family Values

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Guyana is a middle income country with a multi-ethnic population living under the Coat of Arm, “One People, One Nation, and One Destiny.” Unlike the western world, my country us a great place to raise a family because happiness in Guyana is built upon mutual respect for each other and strong bond between family and friends. The government has created the necessary policies to sustain this culture. On the other hand, American youths in today’s information age are suffering from continued mortification of family values, artificial happiness and youths losing their voice. I will support my main contentions by entering a conversation with two authors. Sherry Turkle, a professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, using her article, “Can You Hear Me Now?” published in Forbes Magazine in 2007; Naomi Rocker- Gladen, a professor and author who specializes in education and media literacy, using her article, “Me Against Media: From the Trenches of a Media Lit Class,” published in AdBusters Magazine in 2007. Degrading family Values According to Rocker- Gladen, while attempting to teach her students about consumerism, one recurring comment students normally make about consumerism, it is their parents’ responsibility to monitor their exposure to consumerism. This alarming fact is that not every child has parents whom are actively involved in their child’s development. Turkle emphasized that by parents giving their kids cell phones this can lead them to developing a new state of dependence. Instead of the youth seeking their parent’s advice about their ideas and attitudes, they are more likely resort to their inexperienced peers. This is as a result of the “always on, always contented” communication culture that is being the... ... middle of paper ... ...ar technologies. According to Rocker- Gladen the reason for their withdrawal is because they are under the illusion that consumerism does not affect them individually. Even though, Turtle’s article on communication technology was primarily written for an audience of business professionals; while Rocker-Gladen’s article on consumerism was directed to an audience of media activist. They shared similar assumptions about youth culture in today information age: from the breakdown in family values, the illusion of happiness and youth finding pleasure in being exploited. The Quality of life here in America does not have to be controlled by marketers and communication technologies. If American especially parents of teens spend quality time building meaningful relationships with their children, they will not have to resort to an artificial life lived out in the public.

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