Marriage subscription?
Just when you thought you’d heard it all: a German politician proposed today that marriage not be forever - just for 7 years. After that, just like renewing your newspaper subscription, you could choose to renew your marriage subscription (each renewal would last 7 years) - or not. The purported reason for this arrangement is that it would reduce the number of divorces. (Talk about playing with statistics; if that wouldn’t be manipulation, then I don’t know what is.) Seems to me this could, in particular, motivate those who have trouble remembering their anniversary to be more faithful going forward; miss your 7th or your 14th anniversary (etc.) and before you know it, you’re a bachelor!
Thank goodness the German citizens aren’t any more enthusiastic about this proposal than I am. Comments made on the news were thinks like “Ridiculous” and “Not realistic”. And naturally, the Catholic church is against the concept as well.
Did I mention that the politician who proposed this is divorced? Twice?
on September 20th, 2007 at 14:27
Well of course he likes this proposal (snicker, snicker), he could then be referred to as “the politician who choose not to renew 2 marriages” instead of the 2x divorced one. lovely. I’m glad that the germans aren’t behind it either. heaven knows we don’t need an idea like this catching on.
by the way, I miss you Cheryl!!!!
on September 23rd, 2007 at 15:11
I love how you assumed the politician was male!! :) Sorry to disappoint, and perhaps hard to believe - but it was a woman.
on September 24th, 2007 at 12:51
I just dont see how this will lower the divorce rate. Most people, at least in the US get divorced around 1 year of marriage or after the children have grown up and left the nest. This will not stop those people who feel that they HAVE to get married right now just to fullfill some traditional means or those people who “stay together for the kids”. Instead of creating laws that create a “get out of jail free card” for marriages, society should look better upon people moving in together PRIOR to marriage without the negative stigma. This allows couples to get to view each other in there rawest (word?) and uncut forms. Couples should try this out before jumping straight into a marriage that “should” be forever.