I think a key issue is that many of the wealth benefits of getting married have disappeared, or eroded, as a function of changing social norms.
I.e. yes people often married for wealth historically, and in many times and places *only* for wealth, but now it's EXPENSIVE.
Conversation
Replying to
oh yeah this is the more precise take. they're comparatively wealthier because the wealth-benefit of marriage has diminished and the wealth-cost of marriage has increased, probably even if we semi-ignore the smartphone variable
1
3
Replying to
I'd put it more bluntly: people don't believe the opportunity cost is worth it.
They're often right, IME.
1
3
Replying to
that could be made a bit more precise to be a bit more accurate – people being sufficiently uncertain about the opportunity cost should be enough to deter them and explain the trend
1
1
Replying to
Yeah, it's a weird situation.
I'm married, but few-to-none of my non-Polish friends are. Locally, it seems a function of peer pressure and a shitty economy fronting reliance on unscrupulous families ("get married, or else").
Not why I got married, but most married ppl I know...
1
1
But this feels like a highly specific local norm, product of how regressively traditionalist old people are around here.
Divorce rates being lower is mostly a function of draconian legal requirements, IMO.
Don't see too much of this attitude in (conventionally) western Europe.
1
1
Replying to
the interesting thing here is that 'local norms' are themselves kind of a related thing to this discussion? in the economy-geography sense. people move to big/foreign cities to leave oppressive families, etc
1
3
Replying to
Yeah. The Polish diaspora dwarfs the local population.
Pretty sure this is a trend in countries that suck, when there aren't sufficient barriers to emigrating.
I suspect English racism towards Poles, which is very new, is just the same as e.g. old US racism vs. 'talians/Irish.
1
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Yeah, I think that's a point frequently missed by Very Smart leftier types trying to argue with nativists.
The point isn't to have a consistent ideology, and the beliefs/bugbears are mostly irrelevant. The point is to maintain your local competitive advantage.
1
I tend to get extremely leery about "white privilege" debates:
1: "white" is a nativist-racist construct with no good basis, so it's basically carrying water.
2: I would be trilingual & bicultural from birth if not for cultural destruction my grandparents have living memory of.
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Show replies