The In-laws -- Relationships Week 12

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What do we expect from our relationships with our “in-laws”?
Many of us are told that the parent’s of our life-partners are supposed to become part of our family, but what is that process supposed to look like? Well, when you watch the way that popular culture reflects the process, it sure seems like it ain’t gonna be something pretty.

“The in-laws” is, in and of itself, a dominant discourse, filled with jokes about uncomfortable moments, awkward relationships, and conflict. This dominant discourses actually suggests that our relationships with our in-laws are bound to be so unpleasant, that they are acceptable to mock. And while many of us experience positive relationships with our in-laws, it would seem from representations in popular culture that these successful relationships are few and far between.

Consider the two clips above. The first, is the trailer for the film, “Meet the Parents,” which epitomizes the dominant discourse about in-laws (in particular the one about the female partner’s father being especially critical and unpleasant). The second, is from the “Today Show,” where we hear a “reporter” in a mall try to make people’s relationships with their in-laws sound worse than they actually are, and a psychologist in studio who prescribes various “solutions” because she believes that there are bound to be various communication problems for people and their in-laws over the holidays.

Watching these clips, what do you learn about the expectations we develop for our in-laws? What potential impact can you see this dominant discourse having on real-life relationships?