In last year's American presidential race, Republican candidate George Bush relied on his wife Barbara's image and reputation to play the family-value card. The Democrats, making amends for Hillary Clinton's image as a tough working woman, followed suit by stressing that vice presidential candidate Gore was also married to a housewife. And each party sought to outdo the other in proposing measures to protect the family.

Reflecting on materialism:

According to a report in Time magazine in April of the year before last, Americans are reflecting on materialism, replacing the creed of conspicuous consumption with family values and simple pleasures. According to a poll conducted by Time and CNN, 89 percent of Americans believe that more time ought to be spent with the family, whereas only 7 percent believe that status symbols such as luxury cars or designer clothes are worth what they cost.

"This wave of change might have been caused by the 1987 stock market crash," analyzes Time. Everyone realized that the boom of the '80s was over, and feelings of separation engendered by the Gulf War further pushed Americans to look for meaning in their lives. They discovered that the quest for status was a trivial pursuit. Sociologists point out that the baby boomers have come to the stage where they're having their own babies, supporting their parents and planning for retirement. This will make the '90s a "We Decade" in which selfish individualism is out.

As the tide has turned back to the home and family, northern European welfare states like Sweden and Denmark have in recent years taken the lead in re-emphasizing the family. They have concluded that social welfare programs, no matter how well handled, are no substitute for the values and functions of the family. And the United Nations has designated 1994 as "International Year of the Family," highlighting its importance in urban industrial society.

Family life:

With this the trend in the industrial nations of the West, Japan won't fall behind. The adroit powerhouse of the economic battlefield has recently realized that it has become the world's favorite "public enemy." A mood of reflection has engulfed the country, and people have begun to ask difficult questions--like "Is competitiveness worth killing yourself on the job and sacrificing a family life?" Japan has said that it no longer wants to be just an economic animal but rather a country in which quality of life comes first.

And what about Taiwan? Not dissimilar from Japan in economics and trade, here the social welfare system is gradually becoming a topic of debate.

With family on the rise everywhere, mass culture has not hesitated to ride the wave. Even more than car commercials, one TV advertisement in particular illustrates its tremendous pull.

A company that sells pots and pans about two years ago introduced a popular commercial starring movie star lovers Lin Ching-hsia and Chin Han in which the leading man is invited to a romantic candlelight dinner. In the new season, they've been replaced by the happily married Hong Kong star Chung Chen-tao and his wife. The two come home, take a bath, slip into robes and have an intimate dinner together. It's totally family and totally warm and loving--as if to remind people that in the '90s the family isn't a symbol that's out of fashion!