I’m Doug. You seem to believe my name is Brian, but it’s Doug. It says so on all my government documents and so is objectively, demonstrably my name.

Similarly, marriage is objectively, demonstrably a bad idea, whether you and I believe it or not.

Marriage is a holdover from a time when women were considered property. They are still walked down the aisle, given away, and usually take their husband’s last name. Traditional marriage was an exchange of financial security (for the woman) and offspring/heirs (for the man). With much more equal rights and access to the job market, it’s hard to defend this increasingly outdated tradition.

And my objection isn’t just that marriage is unnecessary. Unlike ice cream, marriage is an unnecessary, high-risk option that fails more often than it succeeds and can negatively affect people for the rest of their lives.