In an editorial published last week titled, “If Attitudes Don’t Shift, A Political Dating Mismatch Will Threaten Marriage,” The Washington Post’s editorial board points out that political polarization in this country has reached the point where it is now a prominent, often decisive factor in determining who Americans settle on as their potential mates. They emphasize this trend is now so acute it may actually threaten the institution of marriage as a whole. In particular, it seems that Democratic women are rejecting potential Republican suitors not only for marriage but as relationship material, all across the board. The message the editorial conveys—perhaps hyperbolically, perhaps not—is that as a consequence of this shift in attitudes, marriage itself in this country is in jeopardy.

  • themeatbridge
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    39411 months ago

    As a man, I feel like my perspective hasn’t been fully represented in this editorial. I’d like it to be noted for posterity that men don’t want to marry Trump supporters, either.

    • @DevCatOP
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      14111 months ago

      It’s worse than that. I’m bi, and I won’t have anything to do with male or female trump supporters.

      I don’t know if it’s just me, but I seem to have noticed a rise in interest in poly arrangements lately. I wonder if there’s any kind of connection there.

      • themeatbridge
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        14711 months ago

        I think we can simply conclude that, regardless of gender or sexual attraction, as more and more people are able to openly love whoever they choose, fewer people are choosing to love bigots.

        • @proudblond
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          3511 months ago

          Yeah, I feel like the stereotypical portrayal of marriage in the 50s through, say, the 80s was not particularly positive. Many people I know would rather be single than be in an awful marriage, myself included. I found a good one but if anything happened to him, at this point I doubt I’d even try dating at all.

          • @CleoTheWizard
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            1511 months ago

            I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that people are work. So we sit here working 50-60 hour work weeks with one week of PTO and barely enough money to pay for groceries and rent and guess what happens? People get depressed. Discouraged. Exhausted. Sick. Poor. Whatever. The absolute last thing I want to do is have someone tell me about my star sign on tinder and then get stuck in a relationship.

            And as a young person, I feel like the older generation doesn’t get it at all. They didn’t have to meticulously plan their future. They could accidentally have a kid at 18 and still buy a house at 23. They aren’t emotionally compatible with their partners most of the time. They just did what was expected of them pretty much.

      • @JoMiran
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        4711 months ago

        I’m down for almost anything with almost anyone…just not fascism or fascists. I’m weird like that I guess.

      • ArumiOrnaught
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        3911 months ago

        Bi, poly, married. 0 tolerance. If you’re needing this much trust, then there is no way I could be with someone who doesn’t trust reality. I don’t have time, the mental capacity, or desire to be with someone who probably should be in a special needs group.

        The amount of hand holding and coddling these people need to not throw a fit is crazy. You won’t even get the crazy sex you’d expect from someone that deranged. 2 pumps and they’re going to think they’re champions. No after care, nothing but doggy, they won’t even do the dishes.

        They’re nothing but dead weight in a relationship. A family is a multiple person event. You expect someone who can’t see past their nose to be good in that environment?

        Your best case scenario with dating conservatives is basically with the rapist Brock Turner. He’s at least rich you can mooch off of before…the obvious happens.

      • @captainlezbian
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        1911 months ago

        Probably not, my polycule doesn’t allow trump supporters. Though it once had a guy who listened to Jordan Peterson until it became clear it wasn’t a phase he could be talked out of

      • @CosmicTurtle
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        1411 months ago

        I want to say that there was a study that was done that said something along the lines of a correlation between cost of living and polyamory. Since more money is required to own a house, etc. that poly relations are a natural byproduct of it.

        Don’t know how true that is or even if I’m remembering properly.

        • @captainlezbian
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          1111 months ago

          Idk about that article but I do remember an article about the hidden cost of polyamory. Specifically you find yourself going out to nice things more often in the process of prioritizing multiple relationships and that adds up.

      • Ataraxia
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        511 months ago

        I think more people are realizing that social norms are loosening and that being restricted by a gender is no longer the norm. I thought I had to be a straight woman. Now I realize I can be what I feel like. If I weren’t in a monogamous hetero relationship I’d be comfortable in a poly relationship IF those involved were the kind of people I could be comfortable around. I only had that happen once and I live with that person. But yeah, it’s nice to know there’s morning unnatural about wanting to have a cuddle session with a man and a woman and we are all best friends and comfortable enough to have some fun.