Traditional Family?

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We call our internet followers family. What is family? There is no universal definition of family for obvious reasons. Religion for example. It is still a determining factor. That’s why most families prefer that boy should marry girl from the same religion.

In most cities, old and young don't live together anymore. It's still common in rural areas. Some immigrant groups try and bring parents and grandparents over to preserve languages.

Culture and religion overlap, another reason why families prefer one culture one marriage. Men in Africa can marry as many wives as they like. Islam permits polygamy but the number is limited.

Race is another factor, especially in the U.S. and South Africa, countries that had slavery and legalized racism called apartheid. The English aristocracy preferred marrying within the same accent.

Blue blood used to marry blue blood. Is royal blood really blue? Never mind. It was unthinkable in 1937 that a British king in waiting would marry an American divorcee. Prince Edward V111 did just that, when he married Wallace Simpson.

Today’s family includes boy marries boy and girl marries girl. It includes blended families: his kids from the first and second marriage, her adopted kids, her daughter she got through surrogacy and kids from her previous marriage.

But most of all, any definition of family must include the internet family, which has overthrown the traditional family. Overthrown because the cellphone is anti-family. Like Independence Day and Labor Day, it will cause a lot of friction in most families this Christmas. The online family is more potent because of its sense of urgency.

Family members we haven’t seen for six months must wait, while we scroll down our phones to find out what the online and anonymous family is doing.

We also like the online family because it is not judge and jury. It respects choices we make in life. It doesn’t ask questions such as: Why are you still single? Why do you wear earrings? Why is your hair green?

It is so powerful, we don’t care that it hurts the human family around the table.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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