Tyler's Status Symbols

The above photo is from Life magazine during Hillary Clinton's campaign in the Democratic primary against Barack Obama. I believe that it represents a common portrayal in the media that an ideal goal in life is to end up in a long-term marriage and remain happy with that person for the rest of your life. When observing political candidates, they are often showed happily with their spouse --apparently to say that they themselves are in a stable, American nuclear family. I also specifically picked the Clintons because of the scandal during Bill Clinton's presidency in the '90s. There was a huge public outrage and the impeachment of Bill Clinton because of his "sexual relations" with another women. Because of the huge negative reaction to the event, I think it strongly supports that we value commitment as a society, if not in ourselves then at least in the people we choose to represent us.

This photo is a comic that pokes fun at the fact that many people in our society are afraid of commitment. Furthermore, I don’t think it is a coincidence that the photo features men. I don't know whether or not it is true, but it is often portrayed in American society that men are afraid of commitment. The issue commonly portrayed is that women just want to start a family and men want to continue to be a bachelor for as long as they can. In relation to my commentary on the Clinton status symbol, I believe that our society does value commitment, but we see that as something we hope to eventually find down the road, not something we want to currently worry about.