介绍:
ternet commentator has suggested setting a 7-year validity period of marriage certificate on his weibo account, which he believes can solve a lot of social problems. His words have sparked several severe criticism online. Could marriage certificate have a validity certificate like other certificates?
近日，某网络评论员在微博上提出一种大胆而令人惊叹的声音：结婚证应设置一个7年有效期，到期自动离婚，这样一来，许多社会问题就会迎刃而解。这一言论引起了网友大肆的口诛笔伐。结婚证是否应该像其他证件一样设定有效期呢？
Laiming: So who is this guy? What he’s proposing?
Brian: Well, his name is Lu Guoping (鲁国平) and he is a column writer and internet commentator lives in Shanghai. He has done lots of essays on various newspapers, journals, and what-not. For quite a while, he does ads, news interviewing, editing, all kinds of different stuff there. So he gets this idea perhaps in lowering the divorce rate which has been increasing in recent years and says “Well, how about when you get married, instead of just a lifetime sort of thing is kind of the intent you think, let’s just kept it seven years so that you kind have to either you renew it or it’s up and thanks for the good time.”
Laiming: What's the point behind this? What are the grounds that he uses to support his idea? What good could come of the marriage that comes with the 7-year warranty?
Brian: Well, again, if were concerned about divorce rates, and if you have a contract that just expires, and that doesn’t count as a divorce. If people are doing this, then that would lead to fewer divorces. Whether or not that actually matters or is it a good thing in anyway, it’s a separate question. But that is one part of it. The other point he makes is that a lot of marriages don’t work well. And rather than having to kind of torment people by forcing them to just continue that throughout their whole lives, it kind of gives them a way out and stops the suffering itself.
Laiming: Isn’t that the purpose of divorce?
Brian: But divorce is often a messy sort of a complicated process. If you do like this, it’s like OK, we don’t have to go through any actual things, we just have to wait out the time.
Laiming: So we don’t have to fight for our kids, we don’t have to fight for the properties.
Brain: Exactly. Perfect, isn’t it?
Luo Yu: I think, you know, even for those people who want to get divorce, 7 years might be too long for them to terminate their contract.
Laiming: Why wait for 7 years then they can get a divorce?
Luo Yu: I think this gentleman, Mr. Lu Guoping, is trying to make some media hype there. And all of his arguments don’t hold water. For example, he said this probably will lower the divorce rate. But if the couples end up in divorcing, this is divorce anyway. What’s the meaning of lowering the so-called divorce rate?
Laiming: Well, I guess his point is instead of having couples fight and decide to have a divorce, we’re going to separate them before they have the chance to fight for a divorce.
Brian: Exactly, because again, if it happens, let’s say, most couples who are gonna to have a divorce, they divorce after 8 years, whatever reasons. Then this actually might be a beneficial thing if there were tons of people who were following that pattern. There’s no real reason, I think, to suggest that. I’m wondering because there’s a famous phrase which I think came from the movie called The 7-Year Itch, I’m wondering if this is where he got his idea, because as you just mentioned when we talked earlier, why would people go to 7 years? There’re a lot of people who get divorce even don’t make it to five years, or even three years.
Laiming: Yeah, what a torment for them to wait for two more years! Shame.
Luo Yu: And consider about the wedding vow, it will be very ridiculous if we implement this 7-year contract. Because in the wedding vow, it says for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Laiming: In a 7-year do we part.
Luo Yu: In the future, until 7 years, the certificate expires, do we part. It will be very ridiculous.
Brian: It would be.
Luo Yu: And some people even said this will promote economic growth. Come on, how can you…
Brian: Well, I think the argument there was, OK, weddings, these big ceremonies, maybe you have divorce ceremonies as well, and those cost money. So if you have a new wedding, every, let’s say, ten years, then you’re spending more money, right?
Luo Yu: And probably, Brian, you have to buy a new apartment, then a new car.
Brian: I see there you go. In that Chinese situation, it’s even better. Because, you know, if you have one from your first marriage, that’s not good enough. This would stimulate consumption so much. It’ll be perfect.
Luoyu: But what if you’ve already generated or produced so many babies, and you have a bunch of mother-in-laws and father-in-laws together with you.
Brian: Well, again, you need to spend more money to keep them happy thus increase consumption. Clearly this is economic goal here.
Laiming: One more strong argument coming from this Lu Guoping is that he believes the kids will enjoy more care and love because there will be more step mothers and step fathers.
Brian: That is an interesting idea. I would say it would be better to have a lot of parents than to have just one, regardless who they are exactly.
Laiming: Then we should go back to the prehistory
Brian: There is that idea. I think there probably is a study showing kids who have to travel back and forth between various household, especially when it is not just two, but maybe more than that…
Laiming: What a wonderful opportunity to see the world!
Brian: Yeah, see the world, see dysfunction experience, instability, as a kid when you are supposed to have a good upbringing. It’s not ideal.
Laiming: What doesn’t kill you make you stronger.
Brian: Maybe not for kids.
Luoyu: I think now in China getting married or getting divorced have become so much easier than before. You just go to the civil office there, you have a stamp on your certificate and you both get married or you both get divorced. I think when it comes to marriage, the couple should have thought about it very prudently and thoughtfully, otherwise you guys shouldn’t have got married in the first place. As we have made this procedure so much easier, I mean, the husband doesn’t have any financial burden. Like in other countries like Holland, after divorce, if one side lacks sufficient basic living resources, the other side will have the duty to pay alimony.
Brian: Alimony, yes, that’s a common thing in the U.S.. Oftentimes, if you get divorced, the man has to pay the woman a good bit of money, especially if there is a kid there. But it is easy to get divorced in the U.S.. But it is easier to live together beforehand also which is kind of like this trial marriage, which is somewhat going on here. Even if we agree with some of these goals here, I’m not sure that has any practical effect.
Laiming: You two gentlemen have marvelously given some very diplomatic comments on this new story. I want to make it personal. You guys haven’t got married yet. How do you feel about having this choice?
Brian: Well personally, I don’t feel any interest. I think people should be allowed in general to do what they want. I think as some of us have said here, if you are not ready to go the full distance, if you only want to do seven years, why are you getting married.
Laiming: Luoyu, I have to question you.
Luoyu: My perspective is quite simple. I take marriage very very seriously.
Laiming: Which is why you are not married yet.
Luoyu: Yes.
Brian: That’s a good thing. You need to be serious. You need to make sure you have the right person beforehand. Don’t rush into it.
大家还在听
