IMO, today, polyamory could be a similar economic unit, that can help families survive and prosper. (with less damage to the environment). Expanded families do not have to be partriarchial, nor even matriarchial, but co-equal, and thus even stronger, IMO.
:-) Kelly
If we really want to reduce global warming, and save our planet we need to cooperate more, save more resources, and share the material wealth. Living in small nuclear families is one of the big drains on our society, IMO.
I'm not saying every polyamorist will want to live communally, but just the sharing of social time, and having more secure, loving, stable connections to others, in expanded families could be equally strong as older extended families, IMO. Jealousy, and possesiveness (two key values more for monogamy) are not only socially harmful, but economicly harmful, IMO.
Dave
-------------- Original message -------------- From: "Kelly Cookson" <kc62301@hotmail.com>
> >On May 23, 2007, at 4:42 PM, wabaldwin@aol.com wrote:
>
> >...I support the desire of Utah Mormons (or anyone!) to plural
> >marriage...
> >
> >...but if someone forces a person against their will to marry them...
> >
> >...or if they marry someone who is under-age...
> >
> >...I would not support those specific cases.
>
> Traditional polygamy has a worldwide reputation of being bad for women. Many
> women's rights movements in nations that allow polygamy are working to make
> social monogamy the only legal form of marriage. The United Nations joined
> the effort to eliminate polygamy in 1979 when the General Assembly adopted
> the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
> Women. This is an international bill of rights for women that over 180
> nations have agreed to implement. Article 16 of the Convention requires
> nations to give women and men equal rights in marriage. Polygamy is
> interpreted as inconsistent with Article 16 because it extends the right of
> multiple spouses to men but not to women. The United Nations has established
> the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, or CEDAW,
> to monitor the progress of nations implementing the Convention. The United
> Nations is thus working through the Convention and CEDAW to promote women's
> equality by making social monogamy the only legal form of marriage
> worldwide.
>
> Africa continues to have many subsaharan nations that allow polygamy. Yet,
> even Africa is starting to move toward a recognition of social monogamy as
> being better for women than traditional polygamy. The African Union has
> adopted the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. While the protocol
> does not suggest making polygamous marriage illegal, article 6 of the
> protocol states that "monogamy is encouraged as the preferred form of
> marriage and that the rights of women in marriage and family, including in
> polygamous marital relationships are promoted and protected." The protocol
> entered into force November 25, 2005.
>
> Here in the United States, you will never be able to legalize group marriage
> for polyamorists without also legalizing polygamy for traditional sexist
> men. It's not the group marriages among polyamorists that I worry about.
> It's the sexist religions and sexist men at large that I worry about. We've
> already seen these groups will practice forms of polygamy that are bad for
> women. They will continue to do so even if polyamorists strongly object and
> form their own community to show everyone a better way. Imagine when guys in
> the Hells Angels realize it's legal for them to have more than one wife. And
> the guy who batters his wife--now he can have two wives to control and abuse
> and get to lie so he is off the hook. Then there's the trucker who decides
> to set up two families and not mention the one family to the other (until
> they accidentally figure it out) and now it's legal.
>
> We haven't even mentioned the changes needed to marriage laws, family laws,
> divorce laws, insurance regulation laws, employment benefit laws, and so
> forth in order to accomodate multi-partner marriage.
>
> Anyone who is serious about the legalization of multi-partner marriage needs
> to create a whole package of legislative bills aimed at preventing abuses,
> setting penalities when abuses occur, and changing various family and
> business laws to accomodate the new marriage structure. Until I see
> something serious on the table...a real package of bills to deal with abuses
> and to accomodate the new marriage structure...I find it hard to be serious
> about the legalization of multi-partner marriage.
>
> Your friendly neighborhood devil's advocate,
> Kelly
>
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