Big Love

This past week I, along with the majority of other American women, watched the Emmys.  I love seeing the dresses, hearing the speeches, and rooting for my favorite TV show characters as if they are my best friends.   Along with providing me with the false sense of friendship, the actors provided me with an idea for this post.

During one of Jimmy Kimmel's dialogues, he mentioned the TV show Big Love.  Having never heard of it before, I googled what it was and found it was about....wait for it... polygamy! This (along with homeland winning just about everything) made my day.

After the Emmys were over I did some research on Big Love and watched a few clips from the show.  Here I have included my favorite of the bunch:

I think this clip - in its 3 minutes- says a lot.  The main character, Bill Hendrickson, played by Bill Paxton, is a polygamist male who has just been elected for a senate seat in Utah.  I thought it was very interesting that he chooses not to be straightforward and truthful with his voters until after he has been elected, but instead hides the fact that he has many wives until the general public cannot do anything about it.  This is because Hendrickson knew that he would not be socially accepted and would not win the election if the public was aware of his polygamist actions.

After Hendrickson announces that his practices polygamy, the audience goes into shock.  Some leave, some boo him, and others just sit there confused, but all of them immediately change their opinion of the man whom each of them voted for.  This reaction does not necessarily seem wrong at first glance, however; Hendrickson is the same exact man he was when the audience voted for him.  He still has the same beliefs, plans to enact the same bills, and wants to be in government.  If these people voted for him initially, they should still support him because his marital choices will not change anything on his political agenda.

I think that by creating this scene, the show's writers are trying to speak to the point that society (the audience) is not willing to accept people that have ways of life that differ from the norm (Hendrickson) but that these different people can still be important members of society.  After all, the community chose to elect Hendrickson because they thought he would help their state and be a beneficial addition to the Senate so, in the end, what do his marital beliefs have to do with anything?

Many Wives = Many Problems

This week when I began searching for a media source that might further explain the concept of polygamy and see the views of polygamous people I stumbled upon this article. Although it does not provide a particularly positive opinion of the infamous polygamy, it explores a different side of the topic that I feel is commonly ignored.  In this article polygamy is viewed through a more social perspective and thought of as negative because of the effects it has on various aspects of a family, a society, and also the world.

The author, Libby Copeland, writes that polygamy is used in many cultures, both past and present, to represent wealth and maintain a social status.  Because as men who choose to participate in polygamy grow older and still feel the need to take on new wives, they essentially deplete the supply of potential wives for their fellow men, who may not be fortunate enough to be able to support a polygamous lifestyle.  These men are typically members of the lower classes and are not able to secure wives, therefore degrading their social status even more.

Unfortunately, this "wife hoarding," is not the only problem Copeland finds with polygamy.  She also tries to make an argument for the detrimental effects polygamy has on women, children, and even crime rates.  She believes that the crime rate in areas that support and even encourage polygamy increases.  This is due to the fact that there are an abundance of unmarried men of lower social class and also because the women who are engaged in the polygamous relationships have the potential to become jealous of one another.  Because of this, the rates of rape, theft and murder increase drastically in areas of polygamy.

I think that Copeland's views on polygamy provide an interesting perspective that is not commonly related to the subject.  Never before had I associated such societal issues with the act and I found the data presented in the article to be very compelling and to further push me from understanding why exactly people would choose to be polygamous.

So far I have yet to find a reason why polygamy might be a valid or socially acceptable option, however; I will continue in my quest to investigate all aspects of the choice and try as hard as I can to see polygamy through the mindset of cultural relativism rather than just that of a teenage Catholic school girl.

Asking the Mormon Girl

As I began my research on this topic I asked myself  "what first comes to mind when I hear the word polygamy?"

My answer: Mormons.

Now I know that this answer is a product of inherent stereotyping in combination with faulty advertising, a few SNL skits, the occasional South Park clip, and maybe even some comments that have been made with regard to the current presidential election - but nevertheless, I decided that the Mormon religion would be a good place to start my investigation into the topic of polygamy. 

Joanna Brooks (aka Mormon Girl)

While doing my research I came across a fellow blogger who happens to be not only an award winning author but also a Mormon woman who provides "an unorthodox but friendly perspective on Mormon thought and culture" - the perfect source for my quest to get to the bottom of polygamy and Mormonism!  Of course, she has made posted several articles on the controversial subject and here I have linked my favorite of the bunch.    

In this article, Joanna Brooks (better known as "Mormon Girl"), recounts a brief history of the Mormon religion and its connection to polygamy.  In addition she writes about the opinions of the current Mormon Church, influential Mormons (like Mitt Romney), as well as her own opinion on the subject.  Throughout the article Mormon Girl makes a point to reiterate that "we need to talk about polygamy."  She believes that people will not truly understand the reasons why/if those of the Mormon faith believe in polygamy if Mormons do all that they can to avoid the subject. 

As it turns out, whether or not Mormons of today truly believe that a man should take more than one wife is incredibly debatable.  

After reading the article, I got the sense that the doctrines of the religion state that it is a man's duty to wed more than one wife so he can have many children and increase the Mormon population.  It also states that unless a Mormon is married, he or she will not be accepted into Heaven.  Since, at the time these religious documents were written, there were significantly more women practicing Mormonism than men, the only way for them to ensure that all members of the faith  would have a place in Heaven  would be to practice polygamy. 

After learning this I assumed that the current members must still believe the same things. I was wrong.  Apparently many "progressive" Mormons (aka women who don't want to share their husbands and/or men who don't want to have a bunch of children) reject the idea of polygamy.  Mormon Girl also rejects the act because, as a feminist, she believes in equality between the genders and that polygamy ultimately places the man in a higher position than his wife and her sister-wives.  Even the Republican presidential nominee and the current face of Mormons, Mitt Romney, claims he does not support polygamy (although Mormon Girl is not fully sure she believes him). 

Although many Mormons do not support polygamy, there are some who still choose to follow the dogmas of Mormonism and do. These members who, according to the article, will deny that they are polygamists, practice it in an "underground" way, with the fear of being caught and judged by their fellow Americans.  

The bottom line is that while some Mormons do, in fact, practice the act of taking on several wives, the majority of Mormons do not (or at least claim not to).  I found this to be surprising considering the hype around the Mormon religion and polygamy but as it turns out polygamy is not such a big facet of the faith and most Mormons would rather not address the topic of polygamy or even better have it eradicated all together.  

Why Polygamy?

When presented with the task of writing a weekly blog about a topic of my choice I did not immediately think of writing a blog about polygamy.   I am certainly not obsessed with the topic nor do I adamantly support those who choose to live a polygamist lifestyle. Believe it or not, the topic of polygamy is not one that I frequently think about or on which I have a serious and informed opinion.  However, I believe that through this blogging experience I will have the opportunity to inform not only myself but also my readers about all sides of this subject. 

I find that when the topic does cross my mind (even thought it is infrequently) it somewhat confusing.  Because the concept of having multiple wives goes against anything I have ever been told to believe, I am very curious to learn about why other people find it not only acceptable but also encourage it. Typically I, along with the rest of the general population, associate the act with the Mormon religion, but I am sure there are other cultures/religions that support it as well. I would also like to investigate what cultures/religions/regions believe in polygamy and if it is something that is/was/or ever will be universally acceptable.  I would like to present arguments by both those for and against the act. I think that overall this blog will be an excellent way to present different opinions about the subject while also developing my own personal one.  I look forward to what the upcoming weeks have in store!