Rationalization Case Study: "How Affairs Make My Marriage Stronger"

I don’t recall which blogger coined the term “Rationalization Hamster.”  But this article is clearly a case of a rather vigorous one running loose:

“How Affairs Make My Marriage Stronger”

Summary: woman marries “player” who cheats on her during her pregnancy.  Afterwards, she cheats on him.  They continue cheating on each other.  She makes it clear this isn’t an “open” marriage, and that the affairs are an open secret.  Woman rationalizes the whole thing as somehow making her marriage “stronger,” which obviously raises the question of what she considers a marriage to be, and what makes one strong.  The couple is approaching The Wall, and, conveniently, only now that her prospects are dimming faster than his, she begins to doubt the wisdom of the affairs and thinks of curtailing them.

File this under: “Garbage printed to assuage readers’ consciences.”  It dishonest and harmful on its face: again, under what definition of “strong marriage” is this woman operating?  But further, it re-frames the author’s selfish concern that she soon will be “out-played” by her husband as some sort of maturing…some sort of wisdom gained along the way.  The article is nothing but pandering to the delusions and selfish desires of readers, through-and-through.  Just like most Progressive proclamations, this is a bad idea “disruptively” disguised as a good one, and I just felt the need to call it what it is.

About these ads