Dimorphism

J.,

Because of the whole "gay marriage in Washington" thingie going on, I've been thinking deeply about the meaning of marriage. Can I share my thoughts with you, and maybe get your thoughts in return?

I am pro-marriage-differentiation, i.e. marriage = husband + wife. I do not think men and women are equivalent or interchangeable. People can do what they want but if there's no wife or no husband in it, they need to make up a new word for it. The issue here isn't really about gay marriage at all, per se. It's about role differentiation. The reason I object to "marriage = 1 man + 1 woman" is that it's completely missing the point. A husband isn't just a spouse who happens to be male, he's someone who is responsible for loving, protecting, and providing for his wife and family. A wife isn't just a spouse who happens to be female, she's someone who has primary responsibility for the nurture and education of the family. The roles are different enough to have different names.

My wife will be my partner and my peer. But a large part of my job is to support the family so she has freedom to pursue her dreams, whether it's having a family or running a research lab. We are friends and equals but we are not interchangeable.

I'm grateful to feminism for many things, including the freedoms it has won for women I care about. However, humans are a sexually dimorphic species, and marriage originated in that dimorphism. It's real. Instead of trying to deny the differences, we need to understand them and utilize them.

What do you think?

-M.

--
Hahahahaaaa!!! That is ME laughing at YOU, cruel world.
    -Jordan Rixon

I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not Honour more.

--

Hahahahaaaa!!! That is ME laughing at YOU, cruel world.

    -Jordan Rixon

I could not love thee, dear, so much,

Loved I not Honour more.