I no longer recognize marriage

This is an excellent idea.

Yesterday I called a woman’s spouse her boyfriend.

She says, correcting me, “He’s my husband,”
“Oh,” I say, “I no longer recognize marriage.”

The impact is obvious. I tried it on a man who has been in a relationship for years,

“How’s your longtime companion, Jill?”
“She’s my wife!”
“Yeah, well, my beliefs don’t recognize marriage.”

Fun. And instant, eyebrow-raising recognition. Suddenly the majority gets to feel what the minority feels. In a moment they feel what it’s like to have their relationship downgraded, and to have a much taken-for-granted right called into question because of another’s beliefs.

6 thoughts on “I no longer recognize marriage

  1. joe in oklahoma

    i like it.
    i have not gone that far, but i do not use husband and wife
    i use spouse or partner
    but then i have been doing that for awhile

  2. joe in oklahoma

    i like it.
    i have not gone that far, but i do not use husband and wife
    i use spouse or partner
    but then i have been doing that for awhile

  3. Shawn Smith

    What you “no longer recognize” is one of the foundations of civilization whenever and wherever civilization has existed farther back than we can remember and without some form of which society would break down within two generations. What *I* don’t recognize is an amusing novelty which a small but obnoxiously loud minority has been calling for for not more than 15 years and which, at best, changes nothing and, at worst, further damages the real thing.

    I should congratulate you for being clever, but this is nothing like a meaningful argument.

  4. Shawn Smith

    What you “no longer recognize” is one of the foundations of civilization whenever and wherever civilization has existed farther back than we can remember and without some form of which society would break down within two generations. What *I* don’t recognize is an amusing novelty which a small but obnoxiously loud minority has been calling for for not more than 15 years and which, at best, changes nothing and, at worst, further damages the real thing.

    I should congratulate you for being clever, but this is nothing like a meaningful argument.

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