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'Til whenever we feel like it: Term marriages in Mexico city

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by martian, Nov 9, 2011.

  1. martian

    martian Server Monkey Staff Member

    Location:
    Mars
    I stumbled across this in my travels, and thought it was pretty interesting:

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/29/us-mexico-marriage-idUSTRE78S6TX20110929

    The gist of it being, Mexico city legislators are attempting to implement a new marriage contract that comes with an expiry date. 2 year minimum term, option to renew, division of assets and child custody built in right up front.

    I think it's rather brilliant, personally. Marriage is no longer by definition a life time commitment, and the current western method of dissolving them when the participants are no longer happy is messy, expensive and acrimonious. This system removes all that: if you and your wife (or husband) decide that you're no longer happy, you've got no more than two years to ride things out and then the marriage expires on it's own. No lawyers, no court dates, no arbitration, because everything is already agreed upon. You just go your separate ways. It's a great way to bring marriage as a social institution in line with modern sensibilities.

    What say you, TFP? Is this good? Bad? Another step on the path to hell and dogs marrying cats? Inquiring minds want to know.
     
    martian, Nov 9, 2011
    #1
  2. Fangirl

    Fangirl Very Tilted

    Location:
    Arizona
    I've thought for a long time that it should be just as difficult and expensive to get married as it is to get divorced.
    This seems to be coming at the marriage/divorce issue from a new angle. I like that it forces the participants to think about their marriage vs. just having it by definition, be 'happily ever after.' Again, much thought (expense, etc.) goes into divorce so why not force the issue a bit with making it mandatory to periodically ponder the state of your legal partnership?

    Not sure in what state(s) though "marriage is by definition no longer a lifetime commitment"? I thought by definition it was a lifetime commitment and we are now living far too long for most 'lifetime' marriages to be realistic?
     
    Fangirl, Nov 9, 2011
    #2
  3. martian

    martian Server Monkey Staff Member

    Location:
    Mars
    Divorce negates the concept of marriage as a permanent institution. It's not a lifetime commitment, because the participants are able to end it more or less at will.

    The problem is, as you state, that a lot of people seem to think of it as a lifetime commitment, or worse, simply don't think about it at all.
     
    martian, Nov 9, 2011
    #3
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Irishsean

    Irishsean Vertical

    Location:
    Commerce, TX
    This is not really a new concept even to western cultures. A lot of European cultures had hand-fasting as the common custom. Hand-fasting was usually for a set period of time with an option to extend it.
     
    Irishsean, Nov 9, 2011
    #4
  5. PonyPotato

    PonyPotato Very Tilted

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    PonyPotato, Nov 9, 2011
    #5
    • Like Like x 1
  6. ngdawg

    ngdawg Getting Tilted

    I have been "touting" this concept for years. About time someone listened.
     
    ngdawg, Nov 9, 2011
    #6
  7. Plan9

    Plan9 Rock 'n Roll

    Location:
    Earth
    ...

    The easier it is to get out of marriage, the more pointless the whole institution is.

    The "built in" child support thing makes me laugh. What a crock of shit, people.

    Why not just buy a useless rock, stick it on her finger and cheat on your taxes?

    I say there should be gov't penalties for divorces. Make that price exorbitant.

    That way everybody involved knows that marriage is financial deathtrap.

    And, hopefully, they don't bother getting married in the first place.

    ...

    Turns out marriage is no longer a cornerstone of civilization.

    That shit died with Christianity and muzzleloaders.

    Marriage is a lucrative get-more-stuff business.

    /forever alone'd!
     
    Plan9, Nov 10, 2011
    #7
  8. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    While I am happily married, I am not a big fan of marriage. The thing I do like about the Mexican solution is that it is presented a lot more like a contract, with Termination clauses.

    Too many people enter into marriage filled with Disney dreams of happily ever-after. While there can be elements of this in any relationship, the truth a lot more mundane and in need of a lot more pragmatism.
     
    Charlatan, Nov 10, 2011
    #8