Quote:
Originally Posted by kerry
I think arranged marriages have a fairly high success rate compared to chosen marriages. I had a long conversation with a Saudi student once who was going home on break to marry a women he hadn't met. He said his mother and aunt had picked her out for him and they knew him as well as anyone so he was confident they were making a good decision. When I was in India a few years ago I looked at the Sunday India Times. There was a large classified insert for marriages. Almost all were based on caste and/or religion. They offered a discount for placing an ad without caste or religious criteria. Arranged marriages are often better for the male than the female. Hirsi Ali's account of her decision to flee an arranged marriage is compelling. The idea of choosing ones spouse is a pretty modern idea. Elites especially use arranged marriages to keep economic dominance. Nothing breaks down social class like free love.
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Its a fascinating practice. I have another friend, this one of Nepali descent, and he went the other route, he secretly married a caucasian in the states, and concealed it from his family for 8 or 9 years, until their pressure to force him to come back to Nepal to choose his bride compelled him to admit he was married.
Ever seen that movie "namesake"? I thought it was excellent, its really true to life for these people half way between cultures, especially for the women. At least for my friends bride to be, she can already speak english and will be able to function around town, but she's leaving her entire family and everything she knows to be with this stranger in another country on the other side of the world. At least we have skype these days.