26 January 2005

I Don't Get It

Responses to this Musing begin here ...

I just don't get it. I fail to understand why any society, especially any free society, would want their government to stick its collective nose where it doesn't belong. It simply makes no sense to me, and yet that's what we're being faced with right now.

The topic of discussion is, of course, same-sex marriage and whether or not its a good thing. Human rights groups and activist lobbies all over the country are weighing in and making their presence known, the federal government under Paul Martin is hesitating while they try to figure out which way to jump that's going to result in the least amount of personal pain, and the federal opposition parties are trying to get the government to just pick a goddamn direction and jump and get it over with.

Where I have a problem with the whole thing lies in the fact that I can't figure out for the life of me why we would want the federal government to write a legal definition of marriage. Of course I know exactly what's going to happen now that I've said it: all kinds of people are going to come out of the woodwork and send me all kinds of hate mail informing me that I have no clue what I am talking about and reminding me in no uncertain terms that for a civilized society to function the sanctity of marriage must result from the union of a man and a woman at the exclusion of all others. Of course, since I know all this is going to happen I've already prepared a carefully worded response: bullshit.

A legalized definition of marriage has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the functioning of a civilized society. The whole reason why Christians and Conservatives alike want there to be a legal definition of marriage is because the idea of homosexuality makes them more than a little uncomfortable and anything that makes them that uncomfortable just can't be good. If its not good and wholesome and Christian then it must be eradicated, and since genocide isn't an acceptable answer (although they can dream about it) then they must turn to the law makers to save us from ourselves.

Me, I think that the whole thing is a cop out. As illogical as it may seem to some people the simple reality of modern society is that homosexuality is a reality, and whether you choose to admit it or not sexual orientation is neither a handicap nor a disease to be eradicated. Sexual orientation did nothing to hinder Michael Phair's bid for re-election to city council in the last municipal election. Sexual orientation has done nothing to hinder the musical career of Sir (or Madam, depending on your point of view) Elton John. (Just watch: I'm probably going to be sued for that one.)

It's all just an excuse for a kind of prejudice which, to my way of thinking, has absolutely no place in modern society. But then there is a slight possibility that I'm somewhat more enlightened about these things than a lot of other people out there. Either that or I'm just nuts. I invite you all to cast your ballots either way. The line to vote starts on the left.

People want the government to legalize a particular form of marriage because when the law is written it means that they were right and the unwashed masses were wrong. It means that they no something that the general pubic doesn't, but its really nothing more than a false sense of security because they're pronouncing themselves right about something in which the law makers shouldn't have had a say in the first place. The one and only reason why the government should give a tinkers damn who is marrying whom is to facilitate registration for the purpose of taxation, and that's it. As far as the government is concerned any other considerations should be irrelevant.

And that brings us to something else that I don't understand: why in the name of Hell do people have such a problem with the idea of polygamous marriage? Why should people care whether or not a man has one wife or six? Why should people care whether a woman has one husband or eight? Does any of this have any bearing whatsoever on what kind of person they are? If you didn't know they were involved in a polygamous relationship before you met them but you found out that they were after you get to know them then why would that change your opinion of them? What bearing does this have on who they are as a person?

And why do we give a shit? Why do we as a species have this asinine need to cast things in shades of black and white? Why do things have to be right and wrong when the world around us is made up of shades of gray? Why do we have this insatiable need to judge, and what have we done to earn the right to judge?

That's the big question in all this, really? We as a society are permitted to weigh in our opinions on these matters because we live in a society which allows us the personal freedom to do so. But what have we done to earn that freedom? Freedom is earned, after all. As much as we would like to think that freedom is something that is given because it was given to us it just ain't true. Freedom is something that is earned and is usually paid for in blood. Our ancestors shed blood to make this a free society for us. What have we done to earn the freedom that they bestowed upon us?

Respond To This Musing

Responses to this Musing begin here:

From coolgirl888 on LiveJournal:

I totally agree with your views on same sex marriage, but I disagree with your similar view on polygamy. To me it's a matter of equality. Same sex marriage makes society more equal overall, yet polygamy seems to do the opposite. Polygamy, though this is admittedly a very feminist viewpoint, is generally a situation where the men have the power and the wives. It has, in other societies, confirmed the role of women as objects to be collected as the man pleases and treated as trophies. Aside from this it takes away from the intimacy of marriage as a joining of 2 people. It seems to me when you start adding extra men and/or women marriage would become both less personal and more political

that's just my opinion though.

My Response:

And you might very well be right. Certainly your reasoning is a lot more logical than other arguments that I've heard.

But I still have to wonder why the government should give a damn.