The sanctity of marriage
Now, don’t think I’m some kind of Puritanical Ninny. But I just heard one of the most surprising – and, dare I say, tasteless – advertisements on ESPN radio (on Sirius, the dumping ground for awful :60 spots).
It is for The Ashley Madison Agency.
A dating site.
For people who want to have an affair.
The ad itself isn’t tasteless, per se. (Though, it’s quite ironic that they use Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major as a backing music, given its prominence as a common wedding march selection.) But the fact that this type of site is up and running as a legitimate money maker – and advertising on national radio – raised my eyebrows.
Their motto, naturally, is “LIFE IS SHORT. HAVE AN AFFAIR.™” And there should be no surprise in the fact that, at present (according to their FAQ) there are about 8.5 men for every 1.5 women that sign up on the site.
Amazing.
What kind of person sits down and says, “I have a great idea for a site. How about a dating site, for people who want to cheat on their husband or wife? It will be completely secure, and we’ll help to bolster the egos of numerous deceitful, cheating people who would rather destroy someone else’s life than ‘man (or woman) up’ and admit they’re not happy?”
Sound’s great, bub. Go for it.
I mean, seriously?
Can we put to rest all of the silly talk about how gay unions will ruin the sanctity of marriage – that some antiquated word will somehow be sullied simply through the marriage of two men, or two women? Can we finally appreciate that marriage isn’t just something that is written on paper, that can only include someone from this pile and someone from that one, that the basis should be love, and a lawful respect of a human’s need to be close to someone – anyone – in a time of need, for support, through thick, thin, and all of the rest of the stuff we hear in the standard wedding vows? Can we stop thinking that marriage and relationships and family morals are things that the government should be taking control of – an idea created by the same politicians that fight so hard for government to be held at arms length?
Because really, with a 50% divorce rate (and climbing) and sites like these, is it really the homosexual couples who are ruining the sanctity of marriage?