Thursday, September 29, 2011

Controversal Relationships

When we think about relationships, most of us, in today's society, typically think and see ourselves in monogamous relationships. Opposed to being in a polygamous relationship, one man in a relationship with several different women, or even in a polyandry relationship. Has anyone ever heard of this? Probably not because it is not very popular. Polyandry, by definition brought to you by Dictionary.com means, "Polygamy in which a woman has more than one husband".

A couple a years ago, a show debuted on TLC called Sister Wives. This reality t.v. show was very controversial due to the fact that the Brown family consisted of a man and his four wives and their sixteen children. The show's objective was to allow viewers to entire their lives and see their polygamous lifestyle in a different light. These relationships are most popular in the Midwest, but there are families that share these polygamous views in various parts of the world in secret because their lifestyle is looked down upon.

Same goes for polyandrous relationships. These relationships are primarily found in secluded villages in the Himalayas. These practices are dying off due to political, social, and religious disagreements.

My question to you is what is the difference between a man having more than one wife and a woman having more than one husband? Do you think it has to do primarily with religious views? Or do you think men are seeing this as an excuse for them to look less manly? I know our own personal beliefs might get in the way of what we think or feel about this issue, but seriously, what is the difference?

1 comment:

  1. That was a really great video clip, thanks! I personally think the difference between polygamy in the US and polyandry shown in the clip is cultural acceptance and need. It is needed for there to be multiple male hands helping in the household and there is no need for a man in the US to have multiple wives, a dozen children, and five single-family homes. Polyandry was never questioned in the village until a road and television were brought, giving them access to a mostly white-washed view of relationships. I would be really interested in comparing the misogyny that goes on in modern polygamous relationships and the way women are viewed in these kinds of polyandrous relationships.

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