One of the things that bothers most conservatives about gay marriage is the idea that it will destroy the institution of Marriage. Whether it will or won't I suspect we'll find out soon enough, but this is not about gay marriage. This is about the practice of arranged marriages and about a reality TV series doing just that.
At one time, choosing a bride or a groom was often done for a myriad of reasons, none of which involved the concept of love as we know it. Marriages were often arranged for political or economic reasons. Alliances were made and wars were waged over who married who. At the commoner's level, it was often economic. The prospective groom and his family might receive some kind of dowry or the groom might have to pay a few cows or goats. In many cultures today, arranged marriages are still the norm. It's only been in the last few centuries that the idea of choosing your mate has become acceptable and mostly in western culture is it predominate.
Today, of course, we look upon arranged marriages as archaic or even barbaric. Some even view marriage as a quaint old custom - a holdover from the dark ages.
However, it seems that Fox Entertainment and CBS are trying to bring back the concept of arranged marriages through the vehicle of so-called "reality TV". Here's the premise of the Fox Network show:
Fox is developing "I Married a Stranger," a matrimonial reality series in which brides-to-be don't meet their husbands until they exchange vows.
The premise of the show is that a woman frustrated by the dating scene agrees to wed a man she's never met. While she prepares for her blind wedding, friends and family select a spouse from a pool of six eligible suitors offered by the show's producers. The men are eliminated one by one until only two candidates remain. Both finalists walk down the aisle, but only one makes it to the altar to reveal himself to his new wife.
"She never meets him until the actual moment when they say 'I do,'" a source close to the project said. "It's like the big scene that comes after an entire season of 'The Bachelor,' only this is in every episode."
I suppose it's not so much the arranged part that bothers me. Like I said, it's been a part of marriage for centuries. What bothers me is that it is a TV show and it is being done for it's commercial value. Obviously no one is being forced to participate, but it does raise some questions. The first question that comes to my mind is money. What kind of financial considerations are being offered to the men and or the blushing bride to be? If they are chosen as the groom, do they have to stay married a minimum amount of time in order to collect?
The second question is probably even more important and that is: How were these people chosen and vetted? What was the process that produced these six aspiring grooms?
Lastly, what ground rules are there for the family to use to cull the herd? The producers must have figured that there must be some kind of ground rules to prevent absolute chaos.
I don't know that it hurts the institution of marriage. I don't know that it helps either. On the other hand, at least they are getting married.
VW
