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The All-American FamilyAlthough most women would not want to be married to Homer Simpson, we would never want Marge and Homer to break up.  Can you imagine if Marge and Homer got a divorce?  Sure, they’ve had their fare share of problems, but their love always endures.  Their marriage is the sacred cow of The Simpsons -- it’s basically the only traditional institution in this famous American satire that is still venerated.  Most authoritarian structures and traditional role models in The Simpsons are mocked and ridiculed relentlessly, but the family structure remains intact.  Children everywhere can be assured that even if the United States and all its political, educational and business leaders are corrupt, Marge and Homie will be together until death do they part.

That’s a whole lot of pressure on marriage.  Yes we all learned that divorce is bad for the kids – but how can marriage survive without the help of family, and the support of our cultural and economic institutions?  I have to admit, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Marriage was traditionally an economic system, and romantic love was kept on the side – and usually for men.  Now, we want companionship, children, economic support, respectability but on top of it all, we want our partner to be our best friend, our trusted confidante and passionate lover.  Our romantic ideal says that there is one person with whom you can have everything and yet increasingly, we are these isolated domestic units with no help from family, friends, or institutions. 

Yikes!  And now we have report after report – article after article – and expert after expert - questioning if Monogamy is Natural – that monogamy may be fundamentally human, but that humans aren’t necessarily monogamous.  Seen through the eyes of evolutionary biologists, we can never really escape our most primal animal instincts which seek to form lasting pair-bonds but also diversify our gene pool by having some good ole monkey fun on the side. 

So, how are we supposed to reconcile all of the competing views of marriage without expanding our definitions of marriage?  How can we, as a society, uphold monogamy and marriage while accepting our cheating homo sapien ways?  And finally, how can we as a culture whole-heartedly support the institution of marriage without giving it any institutional help?