Supporting a Position: Gays' Impact on Marriage Underestimated
In the Jeff Jacoby article, Gays' Impact on Marriage Underestimated, the principal issue is his assertion that permitting gay marriage will be detrimental both to existing and future heterosexual marriage. The opposing view was also presented which was gay marriage has no impact on anyone else's marriage. Jacoby's argument that gay marriage will have a detrimental effect on heterosexual marriage is a red herring in the gay marriage issue, and I stand opposed to his premise that allowing gay marriage will have a detrimental impact on heterosexual marriage.
Regardless of one's personal opinion on gay marriage, and resulting ethics, it will not have an impact on heterosexual marriage. The Judeo-Christian ethic, that Mr. Jacoby cites, has historically dominated western culture, and especially American culture. Unfortunately, for over fifty years the Judeo-Christian ethic and its affect on American culture has been rapidly deteriorating, and at this point has been almost completely replaced with the postmodern mindset and resulting culture. It is living within a postmodern culture that we must evaluate gay marriage, and its effects on traditional marriage.
Jacoby makes the flawed assessment that the poor state of marriage in the United States is the result of changes such as the pill, legalized abortion, the welfare state, etc. In reality none of those changed America's quality of marriage, but instead were simply the means to achieve a lifestyle consistent with prevailing ethics. Gay marriage is similar in that it will not affect anyone's view of marriage, nor how the married carry out their day to day marital activities. Gay marriage is just becoming a tool, such as those other items already listed, to blame for the deterioration in marriage; and while there is something to blame for the poor state of marriage, in particular the postmodern culture, it is not gay marriage.
Going a step farther, our culture has already been radically changed in regards to homosexuality, and the resulting issues, through art, literature, news, and television. Everyone has been repeatedly bombarded with homosexuality and gay lifestyles. In a culture where tolerance has become the modern buzzword and something to be embraced; homosexuality, and the related lifestyles, have become normative, and part of everyday life. Gay marriage could not have an impact, at this point, one way or the other because that has already been infused into the postmodern culture. Nothing would change for heterosexual marriages because there would be no change in mentality, which is at its core, the central problem with heterosexual marriage.
In conclusion, postmodern thought is the real cause for the poor marriages we now see, and gay marriage is simply not a threat. Furthermore, any impact gay marriage could have inflicted has already been absorbed into the current culture. There should be no fear that by permitting gay marriage there will be a negative effect on heterosexual marriage; the bad marriages are here, and will continue to be here for the foreseeable future, regardless of the introduction and recognition of gay marriage.