Althouse: "If these people go ahead banning polygamous marriages it means many women will go into prostitution."

April 30, 2010

"If these people go ahead banning polygamous marriages it means many women will go into prostitution."

"Every woman has the right to be under the shelter of a man."

23 comments:

Scott M said...: I'm certainly libertarian enough to believe that both polygamy and prostitution are things best left to consenting adults and not to the state.

That being said, I've yet to hear a convincing argument for same-sex marriage that didn't also include allowing polygamy. Why should Steve marrying Fred be any more legal than Biff and Lisa marrying Donna? If marriage between a man and a woman is arbitrary (and it is, regardless of why) then it's just as arbitrary to limit it to two people.; 4/30/10, 10:29 PM
Dr. Alice said...: I infer from this quote that it is either dangerous or economically impossible for women to live on their own. This speaks volumes about the desperate state of affairs for women in Africa.; 4/30/10, 10:37 PM
Jason said...: Yes, we can condemn the practice from the safety of a modern economy of surplus with a functioning law enforcement institution and a way for women from all walks of life to have productive careers.

Our western mores do not apply well to economies where vast numbers of men can only make a subsistence level income.

The downside, though, is that marriage and family is a mellowing influence on young men. In societies where polygamy is practiced, the available women will marry the rich, leaving large numbers of poor men without marriage prospects.

This is the pool of people who are recruited into terrorism.; 4/30/10, 10:43 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: But Imran Shareef Muhammed - secretary general of the Muslim Association of Malawi.. "I have only one wife, my dear wife... but the moment they proceed with this, I will take a second wife," he said.

Is there anything set in concrete in the Muslim religion?

I don't know much about it but it seems like they have all kinds of loopholes.; 4/30/10, 11:16 PM
JAL said...: Says the SecGen of the MAM: "I have only one wife, my dear wife... but the moment they proceed with this, I will take a second wife," he said.

Boy. I bet #2 will feel really special. Oh yeah, and #1, the dear one, too.

And here's a question: What percentage of the 6% surplus (?) females are Muslims? If there are 6% more females, the question is, how many are single who don't want to be? How many of the 6% are taken by the polygamists? Maybe 6% of the male population (Muslims, obviously) should be allowed to take 2 wives to make it work. (Higher math at work here. Need help.)

If polygamy is legal, polyandry should also be legal.

Wonder how the guys would like that?; 4/30/10, 11:19 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Well, I guess we have a big loophole also.. as long as you repent you will be ok.; 4/30/10, 11:19 PM
Anonymous said...: Monogamous marriage is the stupidest thing ever, except compared to polygamy or a state where there is no established entity to conform to to raise children in.; 4/30/10, 11:36 PM
Fen said...: "Every woman has the right to be under the shelter of a man."

He said under Sharia law, polygamy was optional

a simple offering of Earth and Water; 5/1/10, 12:15 AM
Anonymous said...: a poll of Malawi women

A lot of assumptions built in to that there. Kind of sums up the sheltered view of the American left.

Indeed! Let's poll them scientifically. Then let's give them baskets with Evian, a selection of cheeses, and free museum passes.; 5/1/10, 1:15 AM
Revenant said...: That being said, I've yet to hear a convincing argument for same-sex marriage that didn't also include allowing polygamy.

Yeah, me neither.; 5/1/10, 3:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Mitt Romney hit hardest.; 5/1/10, 4:39 AM
AllenS said...: Africa sucks.; 5/1/10, 4:56 AM
Unknown said...: Did they really mean shelter or thumb? I have a feeling the 6% surplus may include a lot of 10 year olds.

Wait for riots in 5, 4, 3, 2 ...; 5/1/10, 5:39 AM
jayne_cobb said...: "This speaks volumes about the desperate state of affairs for women in Africa"

Don't worry Dr. Alice.

With Iran now on the UN's women's rights commission, equality and respect are just around the corner.; 5/1/10, 6:46 AM
knox said...: I don't know much about it but it seems like they have all kinds of loopholes.

That's one way to put it.; 5/1/10, 8:18 AM
Julie C said...: I lived in an African country for two years. People practice polygamy in the country I lived in, so I have some first hand knowledge of the types of people who practice this. I think Jason had a great point about our cultural norms not really applying there due to economics and opportunity. However, it was not my experience that only the rich could have multiple wives. Most of my neighbors practiced polygamy, and I lived in a small, poor village.

From the woman's perspective, as long as she goes into the marriage knowing that she will be in a plural relationship, there are a number of benefits: easier to space out your child bearing in a country where artificial birth control is lacking, built-in child care system, and sharing of household chores (which are extensive without running water and indoor plumbing).

I'm not defending the FLDS style polygamy or suggesting it is appropriate for our society. The article made it clear that this is a religious issue in Malawi, whereas where I lived it was not just Muslims who practiced polygamy.; 5/1/10, 10:12 AM
Wince said...: "Every woman has the right to be under the shelter of a man."

And vice versa?

Well I'm living in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
"Come in" she said I'll give you "Shelter from the Storm."

Didn't Althouse link this the other day? Great rendition, watch the whole thing. (Notice the headwear.); 5/1/10, 11:03 AM
raf said...: Think of it as Progressive Marriage. The wealthier the man, the more women/children he should be expected to support.; 5/1/10, 3:56 PM
John henry said...: Do fish have a right to bicycles, too?

"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle"

Gloria Steinem (or one of her ilk)

John Henry; 5/1/10, 5:21 PM
paul a'barge said...: Don't miss the fact that this is all about muslims.; 5/1/10, 5:43 PM
Calypso Facto said...: Good point RAF: In this country rich men just practice their polygamy in serial rather than in parallel!

wv: didgeses. Didgeses that guy with 2 wives? One's trouble enough fer me!; 5/1/10, 6:45 PM
jvermeer51 said...: Julie C wrote, "I'm not defending the FLDS style polygamy or suggesting it is appropriate for our society."
So you're defending Islamic polygamy but not those evil Mormon's polygamy? Perhaps you'll elaborate on the differences. Especially why you felt compelled to throw that line in.; 5/2/10, 8:48 AM
Julie C said...: Oh for Christ's sake. I'm not "defending" Islamic polygamy. In parts of Africa there are men who may have more than one wife. Not 50 wives, perhaps two or three. FLDS style polygamy, where a couple of old geezers dictate marriages and control a large group of women and children is, I think we can all agree, a bit out of the norm for our society. That is not the kind of polygamy one finds in Sub-Saharan Africa, generally speaking. A farmer in a poor country in Africa who lives in a small house with two or three women and their collective children, who spends most of his time farming or otherwise eeking out a living to support his family, is less about Islamism and more about survival.

Africa is one messed up continent, that's for sure. But there are loads of other issues to address there that this one is pretty far down on the list. And assuming one could improve education, health, and the overall standard of living for all Africans, my guess would be that polygamy would be less attractive for women.; 5/2/10, 11:08 AM