August 9, 2010
TAKE THIS CHOICE AND...:
The Paradox of Choice (Arlemagne1, 7/26/10, Ruth Institute)
In the beginning, there was patriarchy. And it was EEEEEEEEEVIL. Under patriarchy, men were expected to get married. And they were expected to have children soon after getting married. You know why they had children? Because patriarchy was oppressive and forced them to marry women.There was not a lot of choice built into the system. Men not only had to marry women, but they had to marry women of the appropriate station.
If Henry wanted to get married, he could marry Katherine or Anne or Jane. That was it.
Now that the enlightened Baby Boomers have overthrown the dreaded Patriarchy, people have more choice in matters marital and sexual. Henry does not have to confine his choices to Katherine, Anne or Jane. He can now also marry Tiffany, Barbara, Aiko, Taliqua, or Fatima. Not only that, in some states Henry can even “marry” James, Edward or Robert. Or he can even forget about marriage altogether and play the field for the rest of his life.
It seems that Henry is spoiled for choice. He must constantly frolic and rejoice to celebrate all that choice. That’s how things work, right? The more choices people have, the happier they are. Right? Right?
Well, Enter Professor Barry Schwarz to burst your bubble. He has shown that more choice does not necessarily produce more happiness. In fact, it may produce more unhappiness.
There is a perfectly acceptable alternative to traditional marriage--don't.
