Is marriage a "right"?

As a cynical middle-aged married male, I just think it’s hilarious that people are demanding this as a “right”.

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Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Unhappiness

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It doesn’t harm anyone else to allow SSM, so I think it’s fair enough to make SSM a “right”. Or, at least, it’s a wrong to not allow it.

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What is SSM?

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Maybe so. I just wish people would think about what they’re demanding before they start waving placards around. It’s like demanding the right to be taxed.

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SSM = SS Memorabilia, so the right to own items that belonged to the nazi army.

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Two parts sadism, one part masochism.

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wouldn’t that involve polygamy?

I reckon polygamist sado-masochists should start demanding their rights.

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i’m not clicking that shit…

They’re actually very vocal about it…in San Francisco and Portland.

Bet you couldn’t come up with the definition of “right” if your balls depended on it.

When I first looked at that photo, I thought it was Uluru. :open_mouth:

You can define it however you like - that was my point. The concept of “rights” has no objective definition. In fact some societies are genuinely baffled by the concept.

yyy will be here in a minute to tell me I’m wrong, but broadly speaking a “right” can only be defined in terms of what other people are willing to do to or for you, and it must involve some benefit to you personally at a (modest) cost to the rest of society. The right to a fair trial, for example, depends on the government accepting that it must provide some mechanism for fair trials.

In this case, since marriage involves mostly obligations to society rather than benefits, offers few or no personal advantages, and imposes no cost on society (however small), I don’t see how it can be construed as a “right” in any sense.

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If you believe in equal rights for all, why should 1 person have a right that is denied to another based on Sex, religion, race or other categories that would fall into discrimination in any other situation?

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I don’t. I think it’s a fundamentally stupid idea, for the reasons I suggested.

People literally have the right to get married. If they meet the legal conditions of the arrangement, the government has no call to prevent them from doing so. Try taking this right away from people, and the fact that it is a right should be extremely apparent.

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Let’s bring the rubber band and the knife and see if you can do better. Hint: the dictionary is there for you.

That’s as maybe. I’m disputing the idea that it’s a “right”. Probably the Nazis came closest to telling the truth: a civic obligation, for the benefit of the State.

The fact that people protest about not having it doesn’t prove anything. People got upset when public executions were banned.

I’m so glad you took up such an important topic to put your “special” brand of enlightenment on.