POLITICSSEX 2012                                                                                                                                              ISSUE 16                                                                                                                                  
TEXT BY DREAMA

Perhaps this brief survey proves one thing, whether male or female, half of the population is forgiving and half is not.  As to why cheating is more accepted in American Society than polyamorous relationships the answer seems to be this: everyone wants to feel special.  Out of the 16 who believed polyamory was okay for a lifestyle 8 believed that everyone has needs that might involve relationships with more than one person, including love of family, friends and of self.  Out of the 9 who disagreed 4 believed love should be exclusive.  These opinions also show that people want to feel important or loved in a relationship regardless of what type of relationship it is and perhaps it is simply a different type of personality that is involved in polyamory, monogamy, cheating or forgiving. 

15 years ago Reality TV was just taking off and 15 years ago Jerry Springer was barely a household name, today Reality TV is a genre and Jerry Springer not only ran for office but is a very popular contestant on Dancing With the Stars, a reality show about dancing, not cheating.  15 years ago the word polyamory existed but even the Oxford English Dictionary was not sure what it was (Veaux).  Today, many people have heard of this type of relationship though not many have invited it into their homes as they have the American pastime of cheating, however, polyamory is catching up.  In March 2006, HBO premiered Big Love, a modern day drama about a polygamist family independent of any particular church.  The lead characters are played by familiar faces to the American public, Bill Paxton, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern and Ginnifer Goodwin.  The show did well and is signed up for a second season to begin in the spring of 2007(Wikipedia).  It is only a matter of time now, about 15 years, before American society is educated on polyamory relationships and accepts them as they have accepted Jerry Springer as one of their own.



 

Works Cited

Dritgotas, Stephen M., Barta, William "The Cheating Heart: Scientific Explorations of Infidelity". American Psychological Society October 2001: 177-180. 

Matthesen, Elise. "www.polyamory.org". alt.polyamory. 20 Oct. 2006 <http://www.faqs.org/faqs/polyamory/faq/>.

Sheff, Elisabeth. "Polyamorous Women, Sexual Subjectivity and Power". Journal of Contemporary Ethnography June 2005: 251-283.

Veaux, Franklin. "www.xeromag.com". 25 Oct. 2006    <http://www.xeromag.com/fvpolyglossary.html>. 

Wikimedia Foundation Inc.. "Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia". Wikimedia Foundation Inc.. Nov. 19, 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Love>.

 


Comment from Instructor:

Dreama - This is a great paper + you have gotten some excellent + rich data.  I would urge you to continue with this project if it interests you!

 

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