While watching something or other on TV, I saw an ad for that show where two people get married the first time they meet, and it got me thinking...
What if you were assigned a spouse if you were not married by a certain age?
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Assigned Spouse
20 comments:
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First time he took or hamper my indepence and or freedom it would be over.
ReplyDeleteThat's just too creepy to even contemplate lol!
ReplyDeleteArranged marriages...hmmm...not my idea of fun ....
ReplyDeleteDepending on the society, it might be more of a punishment...
DeleteI'd be pretty ticked off. Some people just don't want to get married.
ReplyDeleteThat would be awful. Arranged marriages work for some but not this guy.
ReplyDeleteOnly if the person would want to get married and even then I don't think it would be a good idea. Some people welcome the thought of single living.
ReplyDeleteBetty
You know I'm going to say (as someone who majored in cultural anthropology) that arranged marriages are common in many cultures. I don't remember offhand one that assigned you a spouse if you weren't married on your own by a certain age, but it wouldn't surprise me if such a society existed. So, the question is, what if that happened to me? If I was raised and socialized into that society, I might not be happy about it, but then again I might be relieved. In some societies, not having a husband or a son is a fate worse than death.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is kind of what I was thinking when I saw the ad and started contemplating how to make it a Tuesday question.
DeleteThat's a complicated subject. Anyone I know who had an arranged marriage claimed happiness and better stability. But that's a small sample, for sure. As for someone who never intended to marry, I got super lucky with my funny and supportive guy. :) There sure could be some interesting fiction herein.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it would have to fit a certain kind of society. I don't know how it would work, but it's a thought for a future story.
DeleteWell, it's intriguing to think about. I would consider it as long as the guy shared my religious beliefs, was ethical, was gainfully employed, served me breakfast in bed, did the laundry, kept the car clean and the gas tank full, picked up after himself, never made demands, willingly massaged my feet daily, took out the garbage without me asking, treated my family like royalty, knew how to make me laugh, shared my love of reading, never complains if I want to go shopping, volunteered at a charity that's meaningful to me, served me candlelight dinners, and enjoyed all of the same things that I do.... OH!...and looked like Tom Hardy. Wink wink
ReplyDeleteNot that you'd be picky or anything ;)
DeleteIf I get to say what qualities, characteristics, traits, skills, and experiences that assigned spouse must have, then sure.
ReplyDeleteAssigned. That would be very interesting. There would have to be a bureau or ministry of... to set it up. Would it be the same age for men and women? So that if you haven't married by that age, you can only marry someone within a year of your age? How quickly would the decision be made? A lot of questions to lead into a potential story here.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little, I thought everything was determined by age. I mean, it was that way at home, so I thought all of life was age-driven. I thought that girls had to marry at 20, and boys were 21. Period. Glad that's not the case!
Ah yes, there would have to be some sort of agency in charge, I would think. I didn't specify a lot here, and that was deliberate. How those questions are answered would tell you a lot about that society.
DeleteArranged marriage has always existed, it wouldn't be anything new. Lots of people would opt out altogether (nothing wrong with being single anyway, and it's a heck of a lot better than being chained to the wrong person), and many would bail out, as long as divorce is still an option. I rather like The Lobster premise instead: after a last-ditch effort to find love, you either do, or you turn into your favourite animal. I'll take otter please.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought of that movie when I came up with the question. Still haven't seen the movie, but I heard it was good.
DeleteIt will depend on who the spouse is. Who knows there could be a surprise!
ReplyDeleteThis is still done in India, for example. Yeah, I would hate it and would do all I could to break this union up.
ReplyDelete