Cohabitation - Breakdown of family system

The title of this article sounds like yet another crazy conspiracy theory against capitalism. This article is a hypothesis which is lingering in my mind by observing the influence of media on the family (rather lack of) values in the west.
A common phenomenon in the west is that teens move out of their parents’ home for no specific reason other than peer pressure. In the media, especially Hollywood you can see characters who live with their parents in late teens portrayed as sexually unattractive. Parents are forced to hate children living with them. Being brought up in India, I find it rather hard to understand why women are turned off by a successful handsome guy who lives with parents.

Media is funded by Capitalists. Capitalists promote reckless consumerism by encouraging promiscuity. Generally speaking, parents tend to be critical of the the unwise sexual choices of the teenagers. When parental guidance become a hindrance to monetary benefits of capitalist society, a grand scheme is devised to break one of the most fundamental institutions of the Human species. The Family. Here is how it works…for the Capitalists.

Contrary to the Eastern world where the cost of child’s education is borne by the parents, in the West it is normal for teenagers to pay for their own education. The contribution of parents is usually small. This leaves the parents with a significant amount of money that they can splurge on to celebrate(?!) their son/daughter moving out. Expensive cars, jewelry, fancy electronics are some of the top articles advertised targeting this segment of people.

Young adults who are driven out of their parents are viewed as cheap labour. They soon set out in quest for girl, car, house. Some of the goods marketed towards this segment include used cars, movies, video games, alcohol, tobacco products, baggy/ugly clothes, fast food.

After hard work certain proportion of responsible kids among these young adults grow up into successful professionals. Do you know the most important product advertised targeting them? The answer is DEBT. The current financial meltdown is the direct effect of breakdown of family system in the West.


“The development of Modern Industry, therefore, cuts from under its feet the very foundation on which the wealthy society produces and appropriates products. What the wealthy class, therefore, produces, above all, are its own grave-diggers. Its fall and the victory of the working class are equally inevitable.”

Reactions: