Blogalicious

Not long ago, we plunked PKHQ down in the middle of an awesome coworking space, sharing ideas and wi-fi and LOTS of coffee with a bunch of hyper-smart, cool people.  One of them is Claire Rodriguez, a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin who just earned her public relations degree and plans events for the coworking space when she’s not hunting for a job or generally being awesome.  She ran across a fascinating headline last week that sparked a lively discussion, and we asked her to write a guest blog post about it.  Now, Claire would like to know if you’d do her the honor of giving her your hand in marriage.  Sort of.  For a trial period.  In Mexico.  Read on:

Well, looks like I have yet another reason not to go to Mexico anytime soon. In addition to drug wars and bad drinking water, there’s a potential new danger: commitment issues. Mexico is actually considering two-year marriage licenses. Okay, so maybe temporary marriage isn’t the same caliber as drug wars, but still. C’mon Mexico. Really?

If you haven’t heard, Mexico City’’s lawmakers are considering issuing “temporary” marriage licenses for couples who are not ready to make that lifetime commitment. This new marriage license would last two years and if the couple decides they would like to stay together they simply renew their contract with each other. The overall goal is to cut down the divorce rate. Don’t believe me? You can read up on the news here.

Let me be blunt on my feelings here: calling a 2-year agreement a marriage feels like a joke to me. That’s why I was so happy when Stephen Colbert made fun it & wagged his finger at Mexico City on The Colbert Report. Check it out:

First, I laughed my ass off. But, in reality, this is a serious issue. Marriage is the most important decision of your life–it’s a commitment to endlessly love and take care of someone and to work out any problems when they arise. If any couple thinking about committing their lives to each other is considering a temporary marriage, they’re not truly ready for the leap of marriage, period.

The ridiculousness behind supporting this bill is the argument that with a temporary marriage license “you wouldn’t have to go through the torturous process of divorce.” As if making divorce disappear completely solves all of the problems of a committed relationship that has gone wrong. Puh-lease!  There will always be fallout from the end of a relationship, and yes, filing for divorce adds to that, but no matter the circumstances, moving our lives from a commitment that we wholly put our hearts into will always feel painful. That torture is still there.

I’m sure I might get a handful of people who would like to get in my face about the complication of divorce papers, what a “progressive age” we’re in and why this bill might be a good idea. That’s fine. I think that seeing “Let’s sign up for a 2-year marriage and see how that goes…” scrawled across the sky in skywriting isn’t quite so romantic and when it comes to commitment I would want my girlfriends to feel confident in making a lifelong decision with someone who is willing to make that endless leap with them, not a hesitant hop into a two-year agreement.

Okay, full-disclosure: The number one reason I don’t want to go to Mexico is because I’m embarrassed about my terrible Spanish. But c’mon, Mexico city, don’t give commitment-phobes a free pass! And don’t act like you’re doing marriage any favors by making “divorce” disappear.  ¡Viva Amor!

Hasta Luego,

Claire