Lessa, i think you meant to direct your good wishes to Caryn/Honki and i echo your thoughtful sentiments to her. Hang in there, Caryn!
The depiction of the Springsteens can be interpreted openly, but i think Caryn's point was the intent of the writers to depict the Springsteens in an unsavory manner. Compare the way the "conveyor belt" kids are presented against the rebel Carol; Carol's point of view is intended to be the sympathetic one and the writers give their point of view through the reactions of Lorelai and Rory.
There are examples of dysfunctional families on GG that cross the economic spectrum. But i agree with Caryn's premise that ASP and the writers put the negative emphasis on the economically upscale families, in particular the parents. The parents of Logan, Christopher & Jason all came across poorly, to put it mildly, and those three sons searched for salvation by distancing themselves from their parents. When Paris, Madeline & Louise mentioned their parents it usually involved something bad. When ASP went deeper into characters she gave more complex portrayals, such as with Paris and E & R, but they are the exceptions.
The examples of dysfunctional screw-ups on the middle/working class side were generally portrayed more sympathetically by the writers. The names lessa mentioned are good examples: When we finally met Liz, she was a screw-up but a likeable screw-up, certainly not as bad as Jess suggested prior to her appearance. The writers made her more likeable as the series progressed and her ending with T.J. and their new child was borderline blissful. I can't defend much of Mrs. Kim's hard-butt attitude during the early seasons, but in the late seasons she became a great supporter of Lane's musical cause. Not much good to say about Kirk's mom, as Kirk described her, but she was used primarily for comical purposes (admittedly, there is something ugly under the surface). Luke was of course consistently portrayed as noble in his efforts to help Jess, Liz and later with Anna; by the end of the series, there was little dysfunction in his family.