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Family Forum / Parenting / Mothers / June 2008Rite of Passage in American Culture?
In one of the classes I was taking there was a discussion about the rite of passage in American society. The definition provided was: - a ceremony or ritual that marks an individual's transition from one stage (social and/or physical status) to the next stage; many rites of passage focus on the transition from childhood to adulthood. Several offered up their opinions that all rites of passage are blurring or, in some specific cases, disappearing. I disagree. I don't think any rites are disappearing but I do think that folding the individual back into society -- a significant step in any rite -- isn't as clear-cut as it once was (pre-industrial age). I can think of several within American society that are still observed: graduation of high school, for those that continue their education, graduation of college/university, marriage, child birth, becoming a professional in the workforce, etc. Thoughts? Many thanks. The Ranger > In one of the classes I was taking there was a discussion about > the rite of passage in American society. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Thoughts? There are lots of transitions still, of course, but I think there are some key elements often missing today. For instance, if you look at the transition from childhood to adulthood, there are lots of lines blurring. What would you think of as something that defines the line between childhood and adulthood? Odds are that whatever you think of, you'll often find the trappings of adulthood on the "child" side of that line and the trappings of childhood on the "adult" side of that line. Best wishes, Ericka >> In one of the classes I was taking there was a >> discussion about the rite of passage in American [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > "child" side of that line and the trappings of childhood > on the "adult" side of that line. I did wonder about that, too. My example was, and still is, the sacraments for Catholicism: baptism, communion, reconciliation, confirmation, marriage, holy orders (if the male wishes to become a priest), and finally anointing of the sick. Each stage, or sacrament received, is more than the attached party. It's a way of bringing the participant more-fully into the community by allowing them greater participation because they also have greater understanding and an ability to make the choices associated with each new level. In the case of American Society: you graduate from high school and you're suddenly able to vote, get drafted, drive without adult supervision, and in some states drink. That particular rite is blurred if the individual attends college, though, but not always. The Ranger > In the case of American Society: you graduate from high school > and you're suddenly able to vote, get drafted, drive without > adult supervision, and in some states drink. That particular > rite is blurred if the individual attends college, though, but > not always. Yes, but look at the things we associate with adulthood: sexual relationships, childbearing, etc. Those things not infrequently happen before graduation (whether from high school or college). Look also at the things associated with childhood: dependence on parents for basic needs, less responsibility, being "in training" for adulthood, etc. These things often continue beyond graduation. We don't (as a society) successfully hold off the privileges of adulthood before the rite of passage, and we don't successfully cut the ties with childhood after the rite of passage, so in that sense it's watered down even though the event still exists and has some meaning. There are only a few rites of passage that I think are fairly clear: getting a driver's license (though graduated licenses blur that a bit, not that I think graduate licenses are a bad thing), turning 18 (voting, draft registration), ummm....having trouble coming up with more that are broadly applicable besides the obvious birth and death ;-) The religious examples you brought up may function in cases where they're taken seriously, which seriously limits the scope ;-) Best wishes, Ericka >> I can think of several within American society that are still >> observed: graduation of high school, for those that continue their [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > you think of as something that defines the line between > childhood and adulthood? My first thought about general transitions was high school graduation rituals. Transition to adulthood is more blurred and probably happens in stages: If religious, a ceremony like bar/bat mitzvahs or confirmation Turning 16 and getting a driver's license and/or first part-time job Starting college or full time job Becoming a volunteer; donating to charity Voter registration Turning 21 Marriage Parenthood Death of one's own parents Grandparenthood Turning 65 and being eligible for retirement, Medicare, Social Security I haven't read Gail Sheehy's "Passages" in along time, but IIRC she addresses transitions. gloria p >>> I can think of several within American society that are still >>> observed: graduation of high school, for those that continue their [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > I haven't read Gail Sheehy's "Passages" in along time, but IIRC > she addresses transitions. I agree that we go through transitions in our lives. But I think that in terms of a *rite* of passage, we don't have many clear lines of demarcation. For instance, while a lot of folks go out and celebrate turning 21 and being able to drink legally, for how many people does this mark a *real* transition from not drinking to drinking? For how many people does marriage mark a real change in the relationship? (It changes a lot legally, and a little in the eyes of society, but in many cases it changes little about the activities going on in the relationship as many couples have been living together, having sex, maybe even having children prior to marriage). Heck, even when it comes to confirmation or bar/bat mitzvahs, how many kids really take up the responsibilities of full-fledged adult membership in the congregation? I'm not arguing that *nothing* changes at these points in time, just that these events typically do not mark a full-fledged transition the way they once might have. I'm not making a value judgment about whether any of these things are good or bad. I'm just suggesting that there are very few *rites* (i.e., events that happens at a specific point in time) that mark a real and significant change. Most of our transitions in life are more blurred. Best wishes, Ericka > >> I can think of several within American society that are still > >> observed: graduation of high school, for those that continue their [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > gloria p Just a note -- if you're born after 1960, you become eligible for SS at age 67. My armchair prediction is that the Medicare eligibility age will be pushed back to 67 (I realize the flip side of this, which is the spike in the number of 62+ folks who then are uninsured). Caledonia |
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