A true capitalistic economy thrives on the concept of buyer discretion. Morons get hosed and those who are diligent in their research and purchases get good products and a generally efficient lifestyle due to their smart purchases.
Great. Buyers' discretion. What about if buyers decide that they want short term marriage, or polyandry, or polygamy, or same sex marriage, or prostitution? I thought buyers and sellers usually write their own contract. So what the fuck is legislators doing writing the contract for them.
Imagine if someone's put gun in your head and you give your wallet. Is that consensual?
There is a faith worse than death, called extinction. There is a power greater than those who can kill you, namely the power that says, "Don't get laid till you get married." That power is weaken, but still societies can greatly restrict many form of relationship that directly competes with marriage.
Would you give your wallet if the alternative, namely living without surrendering your wallet, is easy? I don't think so.
Would people get married if all alternatives are legal and can be practiced openly for all to do? I don't think so. Well, at least there are very good reason why 50% of babies are born outside marriage in US, compared to in Arab. The alternatives are the market choice. Will be even more so when government interfere less. I actually write another topic for this.
Basically "fairer more explicit" deals will attract better objects. Porn, for example, in contrast to burqha, will attract the pretty. However, as better objects move to better market, buyers will find those on the original market "worse". So buyers too will move to better market. At the end, everybody moves.
This process called adverse selection explains why insurance companies want to discriminate you based on your genes. Discriminating insurance companies is a "fairer more explicit" market. Governments of course prohibits that.
It's the same reason why religious ideas get worst and worst. With internet and science, all the better ideas already fly to those better market.
The same way marriage will be replaced by better market. It just that for that to happen, the alternative market will have to be legal AND seen. This is something government prevent with criminalization and censorship. But their power is cracking out.
You think marriage is consensual. Well many think David Cooperfield eliminated liberty statues. There is a trick on things. Yes you can have cakes and eat it too.
Marriage is like an operating system. Imagine if Microsoft censors all Mac ads. Can you consensually say that people buy microsoft's product consensually?
Well porn is censored for minors. The same way, escort, while legal, can only be done secretly.That's promotion of one system over the others.
As I said, it's not about the interest of the consenting parties. It's the interest of those who wants to control the party. Why alimony is so expensive?
Imagine if it's cheap. Then Beatty Chadwick can just marry strings of women and divorcing them latter. The women may not mind. The other males would mind.
Religious bigots just want to dominate the operating system market. No I am not blaming them. I am blaming everyone now, especially my self, for not trying to be as evil as them.