BY Lux Alptraum
November 28, 2007
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We have a few reservations about marriage (and we’re not shy about sharing them, either). It’s not the forever thing that bothers us, nor is it the public declaration of love. Those are the endearing aspects of marriage — even if we don’t always believe in them.

No, what really gets us about marriage is twofold: we’re bothered by the institution’s history of treating women like property and we’re not super into the idea of involving the government in our personal relationships.

A lot of people have difficulty understanding that argument — simple as it seems to us, it’s apparently counter to most conceptions of marriage. So we more than a little excited to this op-ed in The New York Times, which pretty much makes the same points that we always make, only with more facts and, you know, the legitimacy of the Times to back it up.

After a brief lesson on the history of marriage and marriage law, Stephanie Coontz runs through a list of all the reasons why the current version of marriage is quickly becoming outdated — and, more importantly, why our reliance on the institution is actually hurting our society. Regardless of your views on marriage, it’s a fascinating, informative read — and, if your views are similar to ours, it’s a nice breath of fresh air and a welcome break from constant talk of wedding bells.

[Photo by jameschew]