The “nuclear” family is part of the toxic waste of the latter half of the 20th century. I’d say “kill it with fire,” but nuclear waste is not destroyed by fire.
Not a place of honor, no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here, etc.
Capitalism loves the nuclear family because it prevents people from pooling resources. In a nuclear family, you need one washing machine for every two adults. You need a blender, a set of screwdrivers, a hammer, a plunger, a bunch of cooking pots of different sizes, a stove. You need scissors. If you sew, you need a machine, no matter how rarely you use it. You need a hairdryer. A refrigerator. Ice trays. A carving knife. A set of steak knives. Measuring cups. Bandages. Cough medicine. Ibuprofen for headaches. A hot water bottle. Ice packs. Skin lotion.
You need 1 netflix subscription per two adults. 1 internet service subscription. 1 automobile. (Maybe more than 1 automobile.) 1 rental payment or mortgage.
No splitting those things among 3 or 4 or 7 people, nope nope nope. No having a shared bottle of lotion that everyone uses until it’s gone - no, if 4 households each have their own, odds are, a third of the lotion is going to waste before it gets used. And even if not, we’re selling 4 smaller, pricier bottles instead of 1 big one.
No buying rice in 15-lb or 25-lb bags; please buy rice in 1-lb bag for just the two of you. Do not share tools; we want a lawnmower in every garage, not one that’s shared by the whole neighborhood. We want everyone to have a car, not 2 cars shared by 7 adults and 9 teenagers with different schedules. Please rent a truck from a stranger if you need to move; don’t borrow one from the guy down the block who runs a landscaping business.
Buy your kids new clothes every year or so as they outgrow them. Do not pool resources with neighbors and share clothes outgrown, clothes of styles or fabrics that one child doesn’t like but another does. Also we’re going to color-code the toys by gender so you need to buy a complete set for GIRL and another complete set for BOY; they must not share them, because then you’re not likely to buy two sets.
Absolutely do not arrange childcare among multiple adults with varied schedules. Do not arrange children of different ages spending time together, playing and learning from each other; we need the alienation that comes with children thinking they can never have a casual conversation with anyone more than a year older or younger than themselves.
Do not arrange for teens to help care for disabled elders who just need help getting out of a bed or chair. You need to hire a professional for that. Do not arrange for elders to watch over toddlers who just need someone to make sure they don’t climb out of the playpen for an hour while parents are shopping. You need to hire a professional for that.
Capitalism loves the nuclear family.
