Success

Success is a very tricky thing. It can mean many things to many different people. Not everyone will value success the same way or by the same standard. I do not believe that anyone can get whatever they'd like. Many people do not have the means, education, or money to do so. It is a sad fact, but a fact indeed. Rags to Riches is a good example of a feel-good story where a poor man rises up to be in a somewhat powerful position and out of the poverty he was facing. Many times, we do not hear these stories because they do not happen all that often. The stories we hear of are the lack of jobs in America and how much our economy is failing. How can people be successful when there is nothing to succeed in? While in Africa this summer, I saw and experienced poverty for the first time. It is hard to see kids that have nothing and eat nothing for weeks on end be so thankful for what they have and they're considered successful where they are from. You are doing well if you have a place to sleep whether that be a cardboard box or some tin siding slanted together for protection from the wind and animals. That is considered success. In America, people take things for granted that no one else in the world has, or even others in America have. No, we do not have equal opportunity to be successful to the "American Standard" which is basically having loads of money.

The Myth of a Model Family

The myth of a model family is extremely influenced by the media. The media thinks that any parent and child relationship is a model family. They tend to glorify dysfunctional families by making them super stars in reality television. Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Here Comes Honey Booboo are just two examples of how corrupt the reality television is. The producers produce the most outrageous moments from their daily lives and take out anything of goodness or redeeming value. Reality television says that it is okay to have sex out of wedlock when the Bible clearly states that “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is hold and honorable, not is passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God, and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.” (1 Thessalonians 4: 3-6a). The media says to do what you want because it is socially acceptable as long as you use protection. The family model has been screwed up because of the pressure to be “cool” and accepted by your peers by having sex out of wedlock. This can obviously lead to children, which leads to another television show: Teen Moms. Another example of a dysfunctional family. In conclusion, we must take everything we see on television with a grain of salt.