[UUPoly-L] Poly Reality

[Tara_Affinity <tara_affinity@yahoo.com>]

Hi Dave:
 
Wow..........in my mind, this is an excellent post.  I see a couple areas I'd like to offer a couple of "yeah...but(s)" - and maybe I will <grin> when I have a little more time - but as a whole I think you just did a lot to elevate the conversation to the bigger picture.  
 
Thank you: Tara 
(in Lancaster PA)
 
Tara's page - http://360.yahoo.com/tara_affinity - a sacred living, sex-/poly-positive exploration
Meet Up for Lancaster Poly-Tantra - http://tantric.meetup.com/14/ 
Yahoo Group for Lancaster Poly-Tantra - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LAPTN



 On Fri., 6/1 Dave Hall wrote:

I listened tonight (on Sirius while driving home from a Blue Moon party) to
a replay of a lecture on Group behavior. This was on Canadian Broadcasting,
not some party line US station. It was one of the Massey lecture series CBC
broadcasts.

The bottom line was that most people tend to follow the group dynamics and
do what our "group" does and think what they think. Think Milgram's studies
on following authorities, or the Nazi defense "I was just following orders".

Doris Lessing (?) talked about how we don't teach our kids to think for
themselves in the public schools, because the government (leaders of our
group, regardless of the color of our t-shirts and bumper stickers) uses
this knowledge to control us. No powerful group leaders will teach their
group how to disregard their leaders, this would be giving up their power,
which they worked hard to get. Power means money and benefits, including not
having to follow the same rules they force on others. (Can you think of any
monogamous Presidents? Maybe Carter, but he lusted in his heart! <g> )

At this point in our society, the government has established a lot of
control on who can marry, and what that means in terms of benefits, etc. We
have all watched as they fought to keep that control, slowly and painfully
agreeing to let a few more people obtain the benefits of marriage, as they
define it. They are not changing the laws and benefits of marriage, only
letting a few more people share in some of it if they agree to monogamy.

Do we really think they will give up this power over our lives without a
fight. Is this a fight we want to expend our energy on, when the next wars
will be fought over energy, water and food. Global climate change will do
more to change our lives than any relaxation of marital laws, and much
sooner. We might be forced to live in larger households by the need to
economize due to overpopulation. But we won't be arguing over benefits other
than getting energy and food and water.

Poly marriage is an interesting discussion, but I plan to spend more of my
energy on planning for a more realistic future than one that contains legal
polyamory. The list of problems Kelly provided was a very realistic one, and
not likely to be addressed by any administration, red or blue, that has to
face the global problems they have created.

I am glad groups and organizations exist to help us get together and learn
from each other how to live together in larger communities within the legal
environment as it exists. 

This is a bright and friendly and loving group. 

Dave Hall


 
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