We need to convey that the fundamental purpose of marriage is not to put a seal of approval on adult relationships but to unite men and women so that any children they may create or adopt will have a mom and a dad. Marriage expresses a public judgment that every child deserves a mom and a dad. Same-sex marriage, by contrast, says that the sexual and emotional desires of adults count for more than the needs of children. Which message do we want the next generation to receive?
The marriage debate doesn't end this week. Indeed, it may only now be starting in earnest. As Massachusetts goes, so goes the nation? That may depend on whether those who understand what marriage is for, and why its central meaning has endured for millennia, can finally find the words to explain themselves to their countrymen.
Ah, yes. Our message to "the next generation". Exactly.
I simply can't wait to explain to my Colicky Loinfruit why she's forbidden to play with her friend Ivan because of his two moms:
CL: Why can't I go to Ivan's?
Oy: Because his parents both have vaginas, and you deserve friends who have parents with one penis and one vagina.
CL: Why?
Oy: Because it's better for an unwanted child to remain at an orphanage rather than risk being raised by two selfish, oversexed vaginas.
CL: Don't Ivan's moms love him?
Oy: Yes but gay love is only three-fifths as good as straight love. Our Founding Fathers knew this.
CL: Is that why you wish they'd all go back to Homoslavia?
Oy: Oh darling, you're finally starting to learn. Go help your mother with the laundry while I contemplate the sanctity of marriage at the Hustler Club.
More serious response:
1) Marriage must entail children?
2) The word "deserve" is pure sales. It attempts to evoke memories of positive childhood moments when you were rewarded for good behavior. "You deserve a toy...etc". It's a red flag in any argument or presentation. Of course every kid deserves a loving family; but some people get hung up on the biological categories. I think many cultural conservatives would, in theory, prefer a set of borderline abusive hetero parents to a set of loving, caring homosexual parents.
Our nearest lesbian friends have sacrificed heavily in order to adopt a kid, and are nearing the end of the process. I'd pay to see Jacoby explain to my friends how Ivan should grow up unwanted instead of being raised by two parents who will love him dearly.
c) Marriage's "central meaning has endured for millennia"? Oh what horseshit. Marriage was largely a property deal until very recently. Marriage traditions have included: polygamy, arrangement, and huge double standards benefitting men. Current divorce rates in the U.S. are soaring so high, they show that the institution of marriage is about as "inherently sanctified" as Anna Nicole's morning breath. Remember, our country is entertained by midgets and Giants (NY) participating in pseudo-marriage lotteries-- on prime time, no less.
d)Finally: "countrymen"?!? These are the locutions that will persuade a nation? Face it Jeff, you're not Tom Paine; you're simply a hidebound nimrod on the losing side of history.
From Renton in Trainspotting:
One thousand years from now there'll be no guys and no girls, just wankers... we're heterosexual by default, not by decision. It's just a question of who you fancy. It's all about aesthetics and it's fuck-all to do with morality.
Amen, brother.
