Expensive weddings are a symptom of a lot of problems in our culture.
For one, we've lost the sanctity of marriage, but not as a result of the expense. It's due to the fact that our pop culture no longer values faith and family, and feminism has destroyed female dignity.
Understand that Marriage is a Sacrament. You're not making your vows to one another. You're making them to God. That's why most marriages are performed in places of worship. When you make a vow to God, you're effectively putting your immortal soul on the line. That's why the Bible frowns on divorce: Mosaic Law and Christ allow for divorce on certain grounds, but they don't approve of it because you've made a pact to love, honor, and cherish the person you've married for richer, poorer, sickness and in health, to death do you part. Lots of marriages end as a result of money problems, and a lack of sex. Sorry, buds, but did you marry for the sex and money? Whenever I hear people say why they divorced, I basically point out that making a vow means nothing to them.
What happened?
Well, several things happened that took the focus off of God and onto the material. It's a cultural decay that ridicules and undermines things that are important to things that are not. We have a multi-billion dollar industry that plays to women's vanity in various ways, to the point that every Single woman has a dream wedding already in mind. Note that men do not have such dreams. To men, Marriage is not about the Wedding, it's about Life thereafter.
We have a culture that has been developed, mostly through the concepts espoused by modern feminism, that seeks to erode all personal responsibility from women.
Think about it. In our culture, women can opt out of parenthood through abortion. Men have no such right. Indeed, women can falsely accuse anyone of anything, and not be punished for it (the Duke Lacrosse Case is but one example). Women can commit paternity fraud and not be held to account. Among other things this has caused is the fact that women bring more than 70% of the divorces in this country, and in 90% of cases they get alimony and child custody. Men end up becoming Pay-Per-View Dads.
Consider that. For most women, the vows only mean something when they can use it to their advantage. For most men, vows are vows. Most men do not bring divorces because they made a vow, and to men, keeping your word is a mark of honor and character. Women, today, are not ever expected to behave with honor and character. It's nice when they do, but the operative word here is "expected."
There are very few expectations of women these days. They're not obligated to shoulder responsibilities as they once did. There was a time when women were courted, and an elaborate dating ritual was born out of this. There was a time that the only women who dressed provocatively were prostitutes. Today, we now have Slutwalks, a rather silly display at defiance against...what, exactly, isn't specified. The so-called patriarchy, which never really existed in the West anyway, at least not the way feminists believe.
Women cheat on their spouses as much as men do, it's just they're better at lying about it then men are.
On top of all this, men tend to almost worship women. Lots of men put women on pedestals because that's what we've been taught to do. We think that by kissing her ass, buying her gifts, wining and dining her, we'll get laid. It's very flawed thinking, but there it is. As a result, many women feel very entitled. When they date a man, they expect him to pay for every dinner, buy her gifts on Valentine's Day, her birthday, and remember the day they met. And it doesn't stop when they make wedding vows. I've known lots of women who would find it an insult if she was expected to go dutch even on the first date.
When you combine a princess mentality severed from a sense of personal responsibility, character, and honor, you're bound to have what you see in the film Father of the Bride.
George Banks is a product of the culture; the emasculated man who has no idea why so much money is being spent on one celebration, and has no control over it whatsoever. He doesn't know how it happened, and he has no counter to it all, because he's been guilted, in essence, to cater to whatever his wife and daughter want, regardless of practical concerns.
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nutsberryfarm
14 years ago
the problem is 'franck'! the dude sounds related to that crazy nazi guy in 'indiana jones & raiders of the lost ark' that got his hand burned with the amulet!
Oh, and remember, next Friday is Hawaiian shirt day.
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behamut
13 years ago
I know it's been a few months since this was written, but I gotta say that you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
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enationfan
13 years ago
WyldeGoose - What a great post. Found myself nodding through quite a bit of it.
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TrentinaNE
9 years ago
Oh, fudge off. I'm an atheist feminist who has been happily married for 23 years. You don't need religion or "god" to believe in commitment to another person. Common sense and self-respect are a good foundation. George was lacking in both.
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