Quiz 3, Post 2: What does it mean to be a "family" in 2011?

When you hear the word "family" what do you think of?

If you asked most people, chances are they'd probably say a dad, a mom, and children.

However, according to one dictionary a family is:

1. 1. Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place

This definition seems to better coincide with the emerging, modern idea of a family; the idea that a family can be two women, two women and a child, two men, two men and a child, one mother and 3 children, and so on.

In this Us Weekly magazine cover above, Elton John and his partner David Furnish welcome their new baby boy. This modern family challenges the cultural norms. As the years progress, the concept of a family continues to be challenged. If this couple were not white (or wealthy) they'd also challenge the idea of "white patriarchal capitalism" simply by their subordinate standing.