Smile Politely. Speak Directly. A Champaign-Urbana Culture Blog

Marriage should not be advertised as a financial incentive - it is a very important decision that involves many aspects of your life. You need to be mentally prepared and well informed beforehand. Thinking it will make your money problems go away is just ridiculous.

As you said, this is targeted at youngsters. I would much rather them advertise the responsibilities and challenges that come with marriage than tell them to just jump on the boat as soon as possible. Young people are generally not mature enough to make these decisions, and I don't think they should be - even if they are pregnant.

They cite all sorts of research from the late nineties with titles such as "The Determination of Wages: Does Marriage Matter?", but they don't tell the reader that all of this research was focused on the average marriage population, not the younger marriage population. To assume that the results are consistent across the board, or that there aren't a multitude of problems associated with early marriage, is just to ignore the reality of the situation.

You know what things they SHOULD advertise? Commitment, compassion, sympathy, selflessness, respect, humility, and all the other things necessary for a strong relationship. Marriage can come after that.

I think they are really generalizing marriage. Ever relationship is different. Really, were do they get off assuming all marriage is healthy. Blanket statements like these, to me, come off as blind and ignorant.

For example. What about all those households with abusive fathers. I bet this sign would be really offensive to a woman or child in that situation.

This is just another foolish statement like: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."

They are really miss the point and seem to think or pretend every case is the same.

thank you thank you thank you for writing this. it is absurd to act like something that society promotes is superior just because society promotes it, and it is a direct offense against those who aren't married and whose folks aren't married to act like this decision somehow has more moral weight or reflects intelligence. in so far as certain groups of people (the white middle class) marry more frequently, it is also a racial and class-based offensive as well. any relation to the group who thinks hip hop rots yr brain??

The "hip hop rots yr brain" was a joke, created by a hip hop group.

Comparing racism, (where one is unable to choose one's race), to discrimination against singles, (where one can make a choice to change one's status), is more than a little disrespectful to those who have experienced discrimination based on the color of their skin and serves to diminish hatred and bigotry that Rosa Parks, MLK, Jr. and others fought against.

If you are truly offended by these billboards, then count your blessings, because your life must be pretty rosy and devoid of real problems like unemployment, housing, food, healthcare, mental and/or physical disabilities...need I continue?

That being said, I think the billboards are doing exactly what they were designed to do, provoke discussion about marriage.

"That being said, I think the billboards are doing exactly what they were designed to do, provoke discussion about marriage."

True, but their goal is obviously to discuss all of its benefits and none of its drawbacks. What Ryan is doing here is opening the debate for both sides.

When I first saw that billboard I took it to mean "if you're married you should try to stay married". (But of course, unhappy or abusive marriages are the exception.) I can see how someone might think "well, I was on the fence about marriage, but you can make more money??!! Holy poop, I'm getting hitched!!" It leads to the (most likely) false impression that if you get married you personally will make more money. Who the hell did they survey? How did they survey this?

I must say, it doesn't make me as upset as the "Got Jesus?" billboards- don't tell me what I want, don't tell me what I need. I can figure that out on my own, thank you very much.

I also don't think marriage should be touted until there are equal marriage rights for everyone. Word.

The federal government discriminates against single people all the time. Is it fair that married people should receive tax breaks that singles can't get?

Singles also often pay more for insurance that married people do. And most companies allow married employees time off to attend their kids' school plays and soccer games, whereas if an unwed employee wanted the same amount of time off to do whatever he or she wants, that employee would be denied.

Good call.
Discrimination? should be well discriminating.
Its hard to say that an employer that gives people with children more options as bad.
However those with children and married people are NOT the same group.
Ask any whose been divorced if married people make more.
If they are addressing those unprepared for pregnancy maybe they should be addressing it.
"Birth control: if you read the package and stay sober, it works."
"If you cannot provide someone else can, its called: adoption."
The word marriage has lost is meaning.

Call me sexist but I would like to see a billboard of a young lady or young man that says, "no ring,don't ring. Commitment it works."

We talked about this at Vineyard in March...way too much discrimination against single people; especially in the church. A recent survey found that 43% of regular attending adults were single. Someone asked why they didn't have a singles ministry at the church to which one of our pastors' responded, "We ARE a singles ministry." ;)

The Campaign for Our Children has their hearts in the right place, but their logic is awfully shaky. Their stated goal is to reduce teenage pregnancy, but their hypothesis seems to be that "If kids think marriage is cool, they will wait until of marriagable (?) age to reproduce."

What?

Teenagers are NOT reproducing early because they "don't know marriage is cool", teenagers get pregnant because they don't know protected sex is cool. Kids need education about sex, not marriage.

Besides, most of their "facts" about married people do not spring from the fact that these people are married. Take this billboard for example: it's the rich people that are getting married, not the married people getting rich.

The only real benefit of being married is that someone has sworn in front of family, friends, and God to love you forever. Which is awesome, by the way. In my opinion, "facts" about money and longevity only distract from that idea.

As someone who is re-entering the single world, this sign does offend me. In general, I don't feel discriminated against as a single person, but I do feel like the sign is calling me a loser.

Hey, I know being married is better than being single. You don't have to convince me. But the sign implies that getting married is as easy as opening up a savings account. There are legions of people who would love to get married, but haven't found the right person yet. This sign mocks those people.

I really don't like the "be white" analogy, because there is a clear difference between race and lifestyle. A more apt one might be, "Rich people are happier! Wealth Works!" Oh, is that all I need to do? All this time I was actively trying to avoid wealth!

I really don't get the point of the billboard. Is there an epidemic of young people who are spurning marriage?

It is wrong to discriminate against singles for example by stating they can make no more than 75K to qualify for a tax break whereas the married couple (even if only 1 spouse is working) to make no more than 150K to qualify. This is wrong.