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> Perhaps there is something more to an arrangement developed all over the world spanning a variety of cultures. Yes, one aspect of marriage is the business par

> Perhaps there is something more to an arrangement developed all over the world spanning a variety of cultures. Yes, one aspect of marriage is the business partnership. But there are other aspects to a marriage relationship that can’t be codified in law. I have nothing against the cultural institution of marriage. It's probably a good idea for most people. However, most people are unwilling to participate in the cultural institution of marriage without also having a legal marriage. At this point in the US, the laws surrounding marriage and the cultural institution have almost nothing to do with each other. For example, almost all of the laws around the sexual aspects of marriage: for cause divorce, alienation of affections, etc. are gone in most places. So when people are evaluating marriage, the most important thing to evaluate is the law, because that's what affects people lives the most.

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kelnos 7y ago
> However, most people are unwilling to participate in the cultural institution of marriage without also having a legal marriage. I don't think it's a lack of willingness, I think it's social pressure. If someone told me they were "married", but hadn't actually been legally married, I would find that odd. I'm ambivalent on the whole thing; I tire of people gossiping about how so-and-so are "finally" getting married (if they're together and are both happy, that's enough), and I would be fine being in a long-term, unmarried relationship, but I don't feel so strongly anti-legal-marriage that I would make it a showstopper for a relationship of my own.
erikpukinskis 7y ago
If you can’t legally drain each other’s checking accounts, then you’re not “participating in the cultural institution”. It’s about trusting someone to merge legal entities with you, and trusting someone to pull the plug on your life support at the right time, and all the cultural baggage that entails. If you want a roommate you coparent with, that’s awesome. Go for it. But that’s not a marriage.

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kelnos 7y ago

> However, most people are unwilling to participate in the cultural institution of marriage without also having a legal marriage. I don't think it's a lack of willingness, I think it's social pressure. If someone told me they were "married", but hadn't actually been legally married, I would find that odd. I'm ambivalent on the whole thing; I tire of people gossiping about how so-and-so are "finally" getting married (if they're together and are both happy, that's enough), and I would be fine being in a long-term, unmarried relationship, but I don't feel so strongly anti-legal-marriage that I would make it a showstopper for a relationship of my own.

erikpukinskis 7y ago

If you can’t legally drain each other’s checking accounts, then you’re not “participating in the cultural institution”. It’s about trusting someone to merge legal entities with you, and trusting someone to pull the plug on your life support at the right time, and all the cultural baggage that entails. If you want a roommate you coparent with, that’s awesome. Go for it. But that’s not a marriage.