Allow Me to Be Glib For A Moment
On the subject of the right to get married - if we are to believe gays are labeled as "second class citizens" by being denied tax breaks, visitation rights, etc....in short, IF they are being denied a Civil Right...
What about single people?
What about the ugly, the unpleasant, the picky, the irritating, the annoying, the incompetent - all the other people who can't get married - not because of the state, but because no one in their right mind would marry them? What of all the single people who are not single by choice, but cannot find a mate? Are they being denied a Civil Right? Is marriage a Civil Right?
7 comments:
That's ridiculous. The unlucky single still have the right to all of those things they just haven't had the chance to exercise that right yet. It's not up to the government to matchmake. It's no different than tax breaks for people with children, do I feel denied my rights because my friends with children get this break and I don't because I haven't gotten pregnant yet, no. It's still a right that is available to me once I do.
a tax break for children isn't a right. it's a policy.
there are all sorts of things govt provides which can't be considered rights - we don't have a "right" to roads or nuclear bombs or a tax refund. those are policies, programs, whatever.
marriage is a contract that exists outside govt and prior to govt recognition - in my eyes. a wise govt chooses to recognize the marriage contract and support it.
not recognizing homosexual marriages, in my eyes, is an unwise policy, but not a violation of civil rights.
because if it were a right - that means the govt should step in and matchmake because it would mean every individual who wanted to be married has the "right" to get married. that's why i don't think it can be considered a right.
i think gays should still get married if they want to. if the govt were stepping in and arresting people at weddings - that would constitute a violation of their rights.
It maybe your opinion that marriage exists first outside of government, but before I could get the state of California to recognize my marriage as legal I had to go to a courthouse and get a license to get married. Could I have had a ceremony without this license? Sure. Would my marriage then be recognized by the state as legally binding with all the rights and protections that come along with it? No. I must be afforded that right prior to the marriage by being granted said license. Of course gay people can still get married, but not in the legal sense. The argument is not over nuptials and exchange of vows and wedding parties and buffets, anybody can have that anytime they want. It is what comes along with a legal marriage that is being denied, the right to a fair divorce, the right to custody of children, the right to inheritance, etc etc etc.
And it still doesn't follow that just because someone has a right that the government must enforce the use of that right. All citizens have the right to vote and if someone were to be denied that right based on their sexual preference than that would be a violation of rights but it does not mean the government must go out and make sure everyone votes. A right can be exercised or not, it's the choice itself that makes it a right.
but an unlucky single doesn't have the choice if no one will marry him or her.
i'm not going out on a limb here saying there are probably tons of people who want to be married, but can't convince anyone to marry them. i wouldn't call that "choosing" to be single.
who do they bequeath their money to?
www.eHarmony.com
exactly. everyone on that site is having their rights violated. but i don't care...single folks are second class citizens as far as i'm concerned.
Post a Comment