The Case For Polygamy

Dear Neighbors:

When people speak of marriage equality, they're usually referring to homosexuals. It makes sense, after all. What they don't mean to say is that polygamists should be included and entitled to marry everyone they want. When we think of polygamy, we're usually thinking of this:

As you can see, we have oppressed women of the FLDS religion wearing homemade long dresses and uniformly awful hairdos.  None of them appear to be happy, and we can assume that they're probably all married to the same man in spite of the significant age range. If you've read the litany of recent publications on the subject, you know that polygamy involves:

• A religious demand to produce as many children as possible;
• A requirement that the wives are submissive to the husband;
• Taking young girls away from their families and marrying them off as teenagers;
• Women who are the property of their fathers until they become the property of their husbands;
• Women who can be assigned to another husband on someone else's whim.

What if polygamy (or polyandry -- the practice of a woman marrying more than one man) looked and acted differently? What if polygamy was a conscious choice to create a community within one's own household?

Why Polygamy?

$$    Financial Reasons  $$

I live by myself and support myself. I have to accept that certain things are not an option right now, such as a car produced in this century, cable television, and vacations (as opposed to "staycations"). If I had the same number of expenses and two people to pay for them, I might be able to afford a safety net and a few luxuries. 

Let's say a man marries two women. They have children together. Out of the three of them, one stays home to care for the children while the other two work. It could even be done on a rotating basis. When one is experiencing job dissatisfaction or is laid off, one of the other two can go back to work. In any case, they'll never have trouble paying their bills or building a savings account. If the women can set aside any jealousy, they may have the perfect arrangement.  It can also work the other way. A woman marries two men. They use the same arrangement, one staying home with the kids while the other two work. In order for this to be effective, all parties must agree not to stray from their marital unit. 

Before you object, think about the families who have lost everything -- including their homes -- due to layoffs. Think about the reduced need for unemployment compensation and welfare if there were more working adults in the home. 

        Having The Best Of Both (Or Many) Worlds

It isn't unreasonable to find that the person you're with doesn't fulfill all of your needs. You may be with someone to whom you're attracted sexually, but that person has different interests and values. Sometimes, it's the other way around. You enjoy someone's company, but there's something missing in the bedroom. A friend of mine told me that he would love to have a harem. Not in the traditional sense, but in the sense that he'd like to have a woman with whom he has sexual chemistry, another for whom sex is not a priority but to whom he feels a strong sense of companionship, and maybe another who wants the security of living in a unit where she can make a financial contribution, but her own livelihood doesn't depend on her ability to earn a living. 

Why not, right?

Idiot couples who can't fathom that they're not the center of the universe love to go on about their soul being in two bodies, blah blah blah. What if they split it up into three...or four? 

     You Don't Want To Have To Choose

It's not unreasonable that you might find yourself in love with more than one person. Why choose? Why not share the love?

      In The Future, There May Be A Need...

Think about the situation in China right now. Those who aren't willing to take chances or who can't afford to pay off the government are limited to one child. There are 120 men for every 100 women... what happens when it's time to marry? 

Men who can't find wives often turn to prostitutes. This perpetuates sexually transmitted diseases. If women were to marry two or more men, they could form family units in which everyone's needs are met and possibly circumvent the One Child policy. 

When polygamy or polyandry is a conscious choice, it can eliminate loneliness and poverty as well as providing more than one role model for young children.

Who's on board?

D