Polyamory vs Polygamy
Recently, I was on a soap message board and an off topic post about “open marriage” came up. It reminded me that not everyone knows the difference between a polygamist and polyamorist. The following is what I wrote to the board.
There needs to be a distinction between polyamory and polygamy. Polyamory is about having loving relationships with multiple partners. Polygamy is about having multiple marriage partners.
I have no problem with polyamory ( I’m poly myself), but polygamy would be bad for the country, as it stands right now. You could marry 10 people and every one of those people could be carried on all your insurance policies. There are so many social welfare structures that would crumble due to the weight of the increases from polygamist families.
But, there is a VERY easy answer to all this. Get the government out of the business of regulating who can be a family and how they can be a family. Don’t support gay marriage? Marry a person of the opposite sex! Don’t support polygamy? Marry one person! The government has no constitutional mandate to regulate marriage in the first place.
Polyamory isn’t about swinging and it isn’t about cheating. You aren’t cheating if everyone knows what’s going on and communicates.
“I would never do that!”
Awesome! There are many things you do, that I would not. But your wants, prejudices, and desires, are just that… YOURS!
We claim to be over in Iraq spreading “freedom” but we don’t have it over here! Freedom as defined in the dictionary:
Freedom - the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
IMO, if you aren’t harming a child, an animal, or another adult with your actions, then you should have the freedom to do as your own mind dictates! FREEDOM! Want to smoke cigarettes? Here’s a Newport! Pot? *horns* “Light up dude!” Prostitution? “Rock the van!” Marry a harem of ninja midget wrestlers if you want! Go wild!
*whew*
What you do with your body and your life, should be up to you… if you really believe in freedom. The question is, do you?
poly, ponderings | admin November 29, 2006
