Mutating The Mutanda

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26 Nov 2008 04:02 pm

Here's an idea from Tom Ackerman:

Yesterday I called a woman’s spouse her boyfriend.
She says, correcting me, “He’s my husband,”
“Oh,” I say, “I no longer recognize marriage.”
The impact is obvious. I tried it on a man who has been in a relationship for years,
“How’s your longtime companion, Jill?”
“She’s my wife!”
“Yeah, well, my beliefs don’t recognize marriage.”
Fun. And instant, eyebrow-raising recognition. Suddenly the majority gets to feel what the minority feels. In a moment they feel what it’s like to have their relationship downgraded, and to have a much taken-for-granted right called into question because of another’s beliefs.

I don't think any heterosexual in America has really ever questioned his or her right to marry - or the expectation of social status it brings with it. This thought experiment helps jolt the mind into seeing the world through the other's eyes. Which is rarely a bad thing.

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