For
two nights, E! Network aired Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event. This
million-dollar union between reality TV star, Kim Kardashian, and New York
Nets’ power forward, Kris Humphries, was viewed by millions of fans.
Ironically, this union did not have a fairytale ending; after 72 days, the
couple filed for divorce. What happened to the days where weddings weren’t as
important and divorce was frowned upon? The sanctity of marriage seems to have
declined as the media is corrupted by stars that take such institution so
lightly.
Our
society today views marriage as an old-fashioned unnecessary act that can be
viewed with much laxness. You can get married for fun and if you do not like
the outcome, you can easily get a divorce. Statistics show that marriages have
declined while divorces have been getting more common.
 |
Figure 1. U.S. Marriage and
Divorce Rates, from National Vital Statistics Reports. The Family
in America.
Web. 3 November 2012. http://www.familyinamerica.org/index.php?doc_id=33&cat_id=14
|
- Almost 1 in 3 women think that marriage is no longer necessary or relevant in today’s society. (Vitabiotics Wellwoman)
- Between 1960 and 2000, the number of cohabiting unmarried partners increased tenfold. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)
- 55% of Americans approve of men and women living together without being married. (Gallup, 2007)
Are there any successful marriages?
With
that being said, there still exist successful marriages, both in and out of
Hollywood. The unfortunate fact is that they are not nearly praised or given
much attention as unsuccessful marriages. Sure, when couples first get married
there is a big fuss about the event itself—the dress and the venue. But the
media’s focus remains not on the love shared between the long lasting couples
but on stars that easily give in to marriage and fail to stay together.
What is
destroying the sanctity of marriage?
Works Cited
McManus,
Michael J. "The Family in America." The Family in America. The
Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society, Spring 2011. Web. 01 Nov.
2012. <http://www.familyinamerica.org/index.php?doc_id=33>.
"Media
Influence on Youth." Media Influence on Youth. Crisis Connection,
Inc., 5 Sept. 2012. Web. 02 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.crisisconnectioninc.org/teens/media_influence_on_youth.htm>.
Schoen,
Robert, and Robin M. Weinick. The Slowing Metabolism of Marriage. 4th
ed. Vol. 30. Baltimore: Department of Population Dynamics, 1993. Print.
Demography.
"Statistics."
Statistics. Alternatives to Marriage Project, 2012. Web. 02 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.unmarried.org/statistics.html>.
U.S. Marriage and Divorce Rates, from National Vital Statistics Reports. The Family in America. Web. 3 November 2012. http://www.familyinamerica.org/index.php?doc_id=33&cat_id=14
Vitabiotics
Wellwoman. "Marriage Is No Longer Relevant in Today's Society." PR
Newswire UK United Business Media. PR Newswire, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/marriage-is-no-longer-relevant-in-todays-society-153713105.html>.
I really liked how you used your Kardashian example; it effectively established and illustrated your argument, while still being interesting. Your post's format was really effective in holding on to the reader's interest, and I think the headers and bullet points were really beneficial. It would have been effective if you referenced your Kardashian example during your point in the final paragraph about stars still being praised despite failed marriages, but really the post was very well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Madi. I agree, it would've been helpful to include the Kardashian example in my final paragraph, or perhaps a different celebrity couple. I will take that into consideration in writing my final paper--to include examples not just as a hook but in the last paragraph as well.
DeleteLike Madi, I thought that the Kardashian example gave a great introduction to your post. However, having said that, I believe that your post lost its appeal to me because there weren't any other relatable examples such as the one you introduced in the beginning. I think an audience connection is needed more frequently throughout your post. Highlighting successful/other non-successful Hollywood marriages would add more highlights to the entirety of your post.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I noticed that you used the term "sanctity of marriage". I don't believe that this is a more universally known/accepted term as others like "validity", etc. I believe that the term "sanctity" appeals to more of a religious, if not entirely LDS, audience. Using this term in an article that is academic, may cause you to lose some readers instantly.
Otherwise your article is well sourced, and I can tell you looked into many different sources to receive relevant and accurate information for marriage polls.
I agree that audience connection is needed more often. In my final paper I will include more examples, other than the Kardashian. And the word "sanctity" might be more relatable to the religious group so I will try to use a different term as well. Thank you for your comments, Keegan! They were very helpful!
DeleteI agree with the comments above, the Kardashian example was a great way to start it because it is an example that everyone has heard of. You lost me though part way into your argument. You mention things that Hollywood does without using specific examples, yet I thought of some that I think would really help. When you talk about how marriage is a casual thing you could use the song "Marry You" by Bruno Mars. There are so many examples in the media and I think your argument would have been stronger with them. Also what about the couples in the media that are married and have stayed married. Such couples like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, etc. I think addressing that would help.
ReplyDelete"Marry You" by Bruno Mars would have been the perfect example for my blog post. I did address the counterargument that there in fact are successful marriages in Hollywood but I did not include any individuals so I will make sure to add them for more details. Thank you so much for your feedback!
DeleteLike what has been said previously, examples that interest the audience and they can relate to work exceptionally well. Your facts are fascinating, but could be presented in a way that connects to the audience. I thought you did a great job of addressing a strong counterargument and even talked about some of the main causes of the issue. However, I felt like there was a big jump between your data and addressing the counterargument. If you could transition between the two sections a little more effectively, the post as a whole will flow much better. I greatly enjoyed this, good work!
ReplyDeleteIt did feel a little rough, going from the data to the counterargument. In my final paper, I will make sure to add some sort of transition. I will also include more examples that interest the audience (such as more examples of successful/unsuccessful celebrity marriages, songs about marriage, etc.) Thank you for your comments, Clark!
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