Summary of What ‘Modern Family’ Says About Modern Families

The crux of Modern Family's popularity lies in its ability to parody real life without being overly mocking, and to show social conscious in a way that does not gush wholesomeness but instead values learning from interaction.  Television programs of my parent’s generation, such as The Andy Griffith Show and Bonanza, were based on righteousness characters, who encountered disreputable ones, ultimately overcoming immorality through application of their good sense or raw strength.   Fifty years later, TV’s Modern Family has neither the righteous nor the evil – simply everyday problems. Yet, Modern Family accomplishes social awareness through its undertones, oftentimes toying with technology’s role in complicating and confusing our lives, rather than its overt messaging.

Look at Cameron and Mitchell, the gay parents of adopted daughter, Lilly, who make every effort to create a nurturing home on Modern Family.   Their fundamental concerns are ones shared with heterosexual couples, for example, how to raise their infant.  In one episode Cameron and Mitchell conflict on whether to soothe their crying infant. In that episode, Mitchell tried to enforce a "baby-training" method of  self-soothing, which involved allowing Lily to cry for a set amount of time before giving her comfort.  Cameron could not withstand the crying and continued to intervene with her distress, resulting in conflict when Mitchell accused Cameron of indulging Lily.  These are moments of conflict likely common to all new parents – and there’s no right answer to raising children.  The message is that no one insinuates that Cameron and Mitchell, because they are gay parents, are any more-or-less equipped or capable of child rearing than anyone else.
  
Plot lines do not represent whether or not Cameron and Mitchell are at-fault for the situations they encounter as was present in the late 1990s sitcom Will & Grace.  Modern Family is not political in terms of gay rights or obligations; disinclined to explain or deny issues encountered strictly because Cameron and Mitchell are a homosexual couple.  That is what makes Modern Family popular for today’s gay audiences.  In fact, I read a New York Times titled “ABC’s Gay Wednesdays” by Frank Bruni (22 March 2012) which asserted that "A decade ago [gays] would have balked—and balked loudly—at how frequently Cameron in particular tips into limp-wristed, high-voiced caricature… most gay people trust that the television audience knows we're a diverse tribe, not easily pigeonholed.”

Another aspect of Modern Family’s simple genius is its scrutiny of gender bias.  There is an episode where the frustrated mother, Claire, tried to learn how to use the universal remote.  She is typecast as technology-challenged which is attributed by husband, Phil, to girls lacking the innate talent to use technology that boys naturally possess.  This skit makes fun of the gender bias that women cannot learn technology as well as men can.  Yet, the storyline shifts gears as Phil easily teaches daughter Haley how to use the remote.  It’s also a parody of the competitiveness between sexes which creates tension, but once removed, allows Claire to easily learn how to use the remote from her daughter.  Last, it’s a theme of how technology reinforces existing tensions, such as parent’s concerns that kids don’t interact within the family because of texting at dinner.

But is texting really the issue?  Or, is it that parents can no longer exercise blatant control over their children’s exposure to the world once the world enters through Skype, YouTube, and Facebook?   Clearly, it’s the latter and Modern Family explored this in another episode where parents Claire and Phil demand a one week moratorium from electronics use by their children only to find that they are the ones ultimately inconvenienced by the experience.  Below the surface Modern Family does a good job at mocking several layers of roles, interactions, and use of technology, but viewers have to watch it carefully to appreciate the subtle mockery.