Maybe more precisely, my father would have said, "why pay for it when you can get it for free?"
This quote is in reference to the so-called loose mores back in the 1970's; and I rather doubt that even today, 2022, that has changed overall. This quote in reference, directed at the woman a bit more than the man, although, since there are far more derogatory things to say to a woman, this one was actually directed towards 20-something me. It was for the benefit of my mother, who within hearing range when said, was meant to spur me on towards getting married. So for my father to say it was rather, tongue and cheek, as it's said, meaning, he had to pretend he was waving me on.
All for what? To define acceptable, moral behavior being consenting adults? I will also admit that within reason my father was cheering me on... his reality of what was expected was pretty much in line with my mother. Accepted behavior, proper behavior, our code of behavior, rules of behavior and rules of conduct between women and men? What is morality? How does our morality today differ from that from a hundred years ago?
The title of this post is derived from actual experiences circa the 1970's. Lessons in proper etiquette between women and men. Sexual stereotypes. Morality.
There is no easy or good way, from my perspective, to begin any such discussion... many persons already know what they firmly believe. And if the idea of "women's liberation" or "equal rights" is part of the discussion, where are we, truthfully, in regards to that kind of discussion?
The year is 2022 and our society likely believes that we as a civilization are living a modernistic lifestyle. But even if this is true it is, in my opinion, a tenuous grasp towards a wise, fair and enlightened kind of civilization.
The title of this post comes from an experience my sister experienced/suffered back in 1985. I suppose it's easy to imagine but harder to practice, a sense of liberation and freedom, to choose how we wish or want to live our lives. I also think in large part that we as a society believe, not just that we are now civilized, but that we have also overcome much prejudice and discrimination between the sexes.
All one has to do is turn on our TV to experience what we think of today as our modernized society. But before we do that... let's look back to the "way things were", so that we can figure out, maybe, exactly how far we think we have come.
I think we've all heard about the term, "a shotgun marriage". When we do so we likely think of hillbillies... an illicit affair between a man and a woman that results in a pregnancy or even perhaps the simple discovery that a woman is found to be involved in having premarital sex or in being an adulteress.
Is it a sin to have sex before marriage?