“I just didn’t realize it was that much of an option. I didn’t see much of a model in society”……”I’m not someone who says ‘I don’t believe in monogamy'” “Monogamy isn’t easy…its hard” “I just know that I as a person wouldn’t be able to be in a polyamorous relationship and keep myself happy”
This video is about a group of people who are strongly monogamous in their relationships and a group of people who are strongly polyamourous. These people are answering questions such as “I have been attracted to other people while in a relationship” and “People are naturally polyamorous”. The people discuss what they think and what the questions mean to them. Different people who identify the same why answer the questions differently and some of them don’t agree on the same question or answer. The idea carried here is that they think they are different people with some similarities. The conversation is not so much to convince someone to think a certain way but to understand why people choose to be monogamous or polyamorous. There is some disagreement for example in the question that asked if they have ever felt attracted to someone else while in a relationship there was a majority agreement that people have, however, one person said they have not. Their explanation was not that they were born for one person or think they are extremely loyal but that they have conditioned themselves to restrain from wishful thinking as they would do in any other situations. Polyamory, as the people who identify with that lifestyle defined it, is a way to have a different need fulfilled by multiple people. They explained that to them polyamory was the equivalent to having a best friend and multiple other friends. Some have their main partner under traditional standards like paying the bills while also having more people they are romantic with. Monogamy, explained by the people who identify with that lifestyle, defined it as the want to only have one partner. They do not see the appeal to share nor do they think it is a retrain on them by society. Monogamy is a way to be yourself with one person and loving that person entirely with all the good and bad things that come along with them. So much is said and discussed and very well conversed. The video shows people having a respectful conversation, not a debate.
In terms of sociology, monogamy is the dominating lifestyle in America and western cultures as well as westernized cultures. So many cultures believe in monogamy and have so much rooted respect for it that polyamory may face a lot of hardships for acceptance. While it is a controversial topic it is not necessarily a topic or a thing used against people to discriminate against because relationships are personal and no job or activity can force someone to disclose their relationships. People also are misinformed and may equate it to polygamy. In politics at a micro level politicians may lose a race because of their marital and personal relationships but they won’t be taken out of office, they may resign but not for legal pressure but because of social pressure. However and a macro level of government people will most likely be more open-minded and because of the way the current administration’s personal relationships are being publicized with no negative consequence of impeachment, it is not legal for the government to impeach the 45th president based on his personal relationships, such is so for people working everyday jobs. The current social status in the United States is that people are fighting for equality, and fighting against what can be used to discriminate against. Polyamory is not one of those things and thus may not be accepted or respected in mainstream media for another few generations.
Another thing mentioned in the video is that people who are polyamorous are in open discussions with all their partners about their other partners. This takes me back to homogamy and endogamy. Polyamorous people will find those they are attracted to by sharing the same partner with another. They may also reject a monogamous relationship. Monogamous people may never encounter polyamorous people on purpose or for the purpose of a relationship. It seems that tension and discussion will be very low as they would theoretically not involve themselves with each other.
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