Dennis Prager's Obsession With Marriage Clouds His Thinking

Dennis Prager is has an extremely strong emotional fixation on marriage. He's so worried that someone might have a great life without being married that he wants everyone to get married before that can happen, and if that marriage fails, to get married again, as soon as possible. Lather, rinse, repeat. He apparently dismisses or refuses to accept that there are valid reasons someone might not want to legally marry, much less marry at all. This is one reason he's in his third marriage.

He advocated for marrying again with his Wednesday, July 27, 2022 "Male/Female Hour," which he calls the most honest talk in media about the subject of men and women, even though he's never had a marriage striker on during that hour.

His advocacy for signing that terrible state contract was presented as a discussion about whether or not people who are dating each other rather than married or at least engaged can require the same level of fidelity as being married (or engaged). He thinks even if someone has been dating just one other person regularly for years (maybe even shacking up or with kids together - he never addressed that) there is no obligation to NOT date them as a new dating partner. Because, you know, the new love interest might marry them, and that's what REALLY matters to Dennis Prager, even though, quite obviously, the marriage might not last.

Now, I am of the mindset that nobody should assume monogamy, and I'd advise most men decline to agree to monogamy unless they're foolish enough to marry or raise children. But I must reply to some of Dennis Prager's statements.

He said during that hour:

"If you're dating for five years and it is presumed you'll be faihthful, why aren't you married?"

"Whats the difference between dating and marriage if the same exact demands are made in both?"

"If you're going to make a commitment of fidelity while dating, why not marry?"

"I'm a believer that if you're together for a certain amount of time you should marry."

"If together for three years and exclusive, why not get married, if you love each other?"

Can Dennis Prager not really understand that some people want monogamy without marriage? Some people even jointly agree to to this. Whether or not they agree to that is entirely up to those two people, not Dennis Prager or anyone else. Of course the woman, whether she wants to marry or not, is free to reject a man's condition of "a high level of fidelity" for whatever reason, not only because he hasn't married her. It should always be up to either one of them as to whether or not to keep dating. That's so much easier when you don't share a residence, have no joint accounts or joint obligations, and don't have children together - which is why I advise people not do those things if they're not married (and why I tell most men not to marry).

Even if a woman (it can be a man, but let's face it, it's more often a woman) SAYS she wants to marry, she might decide, as demonstrated in her actions, she values the relationship she is in or the person she's with, even though they won't marry, more than she wants to marry someone else. Her options are to either stay with this guy and NOT be married, or look for someone else, which might still never lead to marriage. Dennis is trying to browbeat the current guy into marrying.

There are many reasons why someone might want monogamy, including, but not limited to:

• Simplicity
• Familiarity
• Avoiding STDs
• Avoiding pregnancy with/by other people
  

There are many reasons why a couple might avoid marriage, even if they love each other, even if they've been together for years, including, but not limited to:

• Being unmarried is our natural, default status
  
• One or both don't want to be "husband"/"wife"
• One or both don't want the label "marriage" applied to their relationship
• One or both don't want a ceremony
• Legally marrying would interfere with certain benefits, obligations, taxes, alimony, etc.
• The state marriage contract invites the state further into your personal life
• The state marriage contract is terrible
• One or both don't want default paternity to come into play
  
• One or both don't want to be legally obligated to share their earnings
• One or both don't want the other having legal entitlement to accounts, assets, or insurance
• One or both don't want to be default reciprocal beneficiaries
• One or both don't want to have to do extra paperwork with what they might leave behind in inheritance (such as to children one already has)
• One or both don't want the other being the default medical decision maker for them
• One or both don't want the other to be considered their legal next-of-kin
  
• One or both don't want to live together
• In some places, there are still enforceable laws about a married person having sex with someone else, and one or both don't want that applying to them
  

It is easily understandable to me why someone wouldn't want to legally marry. And I understand why someone who isn't religious wouldn't want a religious wedding ceremony. And I understand why some wouldn't want to be married in the social sense, recognized as such among their family, friends, and neighbors. Why is Dennis Prager unable to understand what I understand? Perhaps he does understand it. He just doesn't care what people want: he wants them to be married, regardless of what they want. Because he buys into the idea that it makes them better and is better for society. I think he's accepted misleading ideas about that.

Don't make the mistake of legally marrying, guys, no matter how long you've been together, no matter how much you like her.

Dennis Prager Looks at Marriage Like a Job

An Answer to Dennis Prager's Question