Liberals Stay Married Longer
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I read an interesting article from the New York Times today. You see I am a fish out of water here in Ohio which is full of conservative Christian, Republicans.
While I suppose I was raised rather conservative I have evolved into a quite a bleeding heart liberal and my views of Christianity have adpated too and gotten more liberal. Now there ARE some things that I am rather conservative about…like my view of abortion..it is NEVER acceptable. But on a great many other things…like gay marriage…I am all for love and peace and doing what you feel is best for you and your family. What you do in your bedroom is none of my business!
I found it extremely interesting that liberals tend to stay married longer and in fact the worst states for divorce rates are Bible belt states with large populations of Republicans.
Here is a quote from the article:
If blue states care less about moral values, why are divorce rates so low in the bluest of the blue states? It’s a question that intrigues conservatives, as much as it emboldens liberals.
As researchers have noted, the areas of the country where divorce rates are highest are also frequently the areas where many conservative Christians live.
Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas, for example, voted overwhelmingly for constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage. But they had three of the highest divorce rates in 2003, based on figures from the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.
The lowest divorce rates are largely in the blue states: the Northeast and the upper Midwest. And the state with the lowest divorce rate was Massachusetts, home to John Kerry, the Kennedys and same-sex marriage.
In 2003, the rate in Massachusetts was 5.7 divorces per 1,000 married people, compared with 10.8 in Kentucky, 11.1 in Mississippi and 12.7 in Arkansas.
Well, I am sure some people would be mad at me for saying this but in Ohio there is more emphasis on religion than education. I understand the reasons behind this but…
“The higher the educational level, higher the occupational level, higher the income, the less likely you are to divorce,” said William V. D’Antonio, a sociologist at the Catholic University of America, pointing out that Massachusetts has the highest rate of high school and college completion.
It is too common here to see kids in conservative Christian families ignore schooling, decline secondary education, and then be forced to take a nothing job to support the big family they have within just a few years of leaving highschool. What is wrong with getting a good education, getting a larger understanding of the world and the people in it, and then settling down to start a family with a good job.
These states also teach sexual abstinence before marriage. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I followed this prinicpal myself and it worked out great. I married a good man. But I have a family member that really should have lived with and REALLY gotten to know his wife before marriage because their union was disasterious with a capital D and the “truth” only came to light after many months of marriage. Sex wasn’ the answer but how well can you really know someone until you live with them?
Most of the Republicans I have met here are also VERY rigid in their thinking and they are abrasive to ANY new ideas. Liberals like progress and evolution.
I also speculate that liberal tolerance is another big reason they divorce less. They are passionate but they are tolerant. They live and let live and not everything has to be “by the book”.
It reminds me of a cute song from Wow Wow Wubzy…one of my daughter’s favorit songs. I will leave this post with the lyrics:
It’s good to do things the proper way
But if it goes wrong that’s okay
If it’s not right, don’t be uptight
It doesn’t have to be by the book
By the book…By the book
It doesn’t have to be by the book
If you’re out to have some fun but you find there is no sun
It’s okay, enjoy the day
Even if it’s not by the book
If you want to play a game but the pieces aren’t the same
There’s a way for you to play
Even if it’s not be by the book
By the book…By the book
It doesn’t have to be by the book
If the recipe calls for Doodleberry Jam…Doodleberry Jam!
But all you have is Polka-Dot Ham…Polka-Dot Ham!
It’s not a waste
Enjoy the taste
Cuz it doesn’t have to be by the book
When you’re building something cool but you don’t have the right tool
It is fine to re-design
It doesn’t have to be by the book
If you have a fancy hat but you find it’s rather flat
Don’t be blue, try something new
It doesn’t have to be by the book
By the book…By the book
It doesn’t have to be by the book
It’s good to do things the proper way
But if it goes wrong that’s okay
If it’s not right, don’t be uptight
It doesn’t have to be by the book
- Posted in Uncategorized on August 27th, 2007
