^^^I don't really understand the nihilistic outlook toward marriages. First off, the divorce rate isn't 50%, that's a common misperception, it's more like 1/3rd. I think a lot of the reasons marriages fail isn't because there's anything intrinsically wrong with marriage, but because people choose poorly, can't communicate well, don't have good conflict resolutions skills, and go in with a me-first attitude. Married couples I've known that do have these skills seem to do fine. I think two people getting married should be friends first and foremost. Very good friends. I actually think it's a good thing if a can convert an LJBF girl into a romance, because they already have a solid foundation of mutual friendship and respect, now they just need the romantic chemistry.
Like I said in one of my other posts in this thread, I suggest that anyone that is even passively interested in the topic marriage vs. singlehood go to amazon and buy a copy of "Unhooked Generation". It goes into a lot of why marriage has gotten a bad rap. It's interesting how even television has changed over the decades. Most TV back in the 50s used to be family oriented. They glorified the stable married family, shows like Leave it the ******, Brady Bunch, etc. In the modern area, the married family is more likely to be portrayed as a basket case, think shows like Married w/ Children, The Simpsons, etc. Meanwhile television programmers show single life as fun, sexy and desirable, think Sex in the City, Seinfeld, Friends, etc, etc. So we have a whole media that reinforces the notion that marriage is sort of a ball and chain and being single and hopping from bed to bed is where it's at. Then you have the younger generation being brainwashed with shows like Next, Elimidate, Blind Date where singles disqualify one another over extremely superficial reasons and it's no wonder this generation is in the mess it's in.
Granted, I have no problem with the notion of getting your nookie where you can get it, I mean aren't we all here for the purpose of learning to get some more action? At the same time though, I think there's a lot of unwarranted cynicism towards marriage. Marriage is fine, the problem is the culture we live in is shaping us in a way that makes *US* incompatible with marriage, not the other way around.
ps - I'm LMAO that the word B-e-aver was autocensored out!