Bored to death by mind-numbing marital monogamy?
That's no reason to ditch the idea of marriage, suggest the organizers of the Fifth Hong Kong Sex Cultural Festival.
Marriage as an institution apparently isn't completely dead. It just needs to be "altered" a bit to fit the modern times.
It their words, the "traditional relationship between one man and woman is getting outdated."
Simply put, marriage needs an upgrade.
Here is the premise of their proposal: With almost one in every two couples getting divorced these days, the traditional marriage scenario clearly no longer works. And because unsatisfactory sex is among the top reasons behind divorce, Hong Kong Sex Association president and festival organizer Stanislaus Lai Ding-kee is suggesting people should be open to "alternative systems for relationships out there like polyamory that may be possibly better than the traditional monogamous relationships," The Standard reports.
Polyamory is a practice where individuals are consensually open to loving more than one person at a time.
Generally, this practice is frowned upon in countries influenced by conservative Christian and romantic values on sex, because they recognize monogamy as the only way to go about love. In other words, they force people to cheat. (See above: mind-numbing marital monogamy.)
That's where "group marriages" come in, apparently. The article doesn't explain the logistics of a group marriage, but I envision it like a form of a loving, genital-sharing agreement with a small and trustworthy group of people.
And, if you think about it, you could probably do all the booking online.
It could work like "marital Zipcar."
Say you are signed up for a marriage group in New York. You are bored of you proverbial old Buick and are looking for something "compact and cuddly" for Saturday night.
Unless Jimmy, the hipster from Harlem, has already booked the Mini convertible, it's all yours. And next weekend, you could go for the SUV, for variety's sake.
Then, I suppose, you come back to the Buick at some point? And everyone lives happily ever after.
I really hope they do a case study on this in Hong Kong.
If this works, they could have a Nobel Peace prize on their hands by next year.
There is no paywall on the story you just read because a community of dedicated listeners and readers have contributed to keep the global news you rely on free and accessible for all. Will you join the 226 donors who have supported The World so far? From now until Dec. 31, your gift will help us unlock a $67,000 match. Donate today to double your impact!