#I JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE SLEEPING HOW WAS I SUPPISED TO KNOW *THIS* WAS THE MOMENT

[jinkiesmariz]

Btw I watched like the episode where Aphmau and Aaron slept together and there was absolutely ZERO romantic or sexual tension.

Like me and my friend thought we missed it or whatever like how was I supposed to know they slept together when it just seemed extremely practical/platonic.

[pearl-sunrise]

On Open Relationships

Okay, this should come as no surprise that I am opposed to open relationships as a concept. Here are a few reasons why:

1. An open relationship is just cheating with more steps. I have noticed that in opened up relationships there is usually one person who is very happy with the arrangement and another person who relucantly agreed. That reluctant last ditch effort to maintain a relationship is so heartbreaking to me. For the person who is uncomfortable in the situation, watching their partner go on dates with new people would be agonizing. For the person encouraging the situation I see immense cowardice. Just leave your current partner if you would rather see somebody else.

2. An open relationship opens both partners up to STDs. All casual sex has risks, and those risks don't go away simply because there is a relationship involved. If one partner is the primary "beneficiary" from the open relationship, but they still engage with the primary person they're suppised to be in a relationship with they can and often do unwittingly transmit disease.

3. An open relationship is ultimately a selfish arrangement. It says "The person I am with is not enough for me, but I don't respect them enough to leave them". This arrangement bases all the merit in a relationship around what each person can do for you vs. what you can do for the person you love.

4. Open relationships are tools to pressure and exploit women. Suddenly if you arent cool with your beloved sleeping with somebody else you aren't woke or you're selfish. You'll be shamed for saying no, but you'll regret saying yes. For those people joining in to an open relationship they will never get the full attention of the person they are dating. They can never be the top priority and will just be a body waiting to be used. The free love movement has only had benefits for men. Women are the ones who are ultimately burdened with the emotional toll of disrespect and exploitation.

5. Open relationships make a mockery of the meaning of marriage. I hold that marriage is a sacred commitment between two people. Breaking that vow by opening the doors for immorality is heartbreaking and disgusting. I also hold that dating should be used to find the person you want to marry. If you are in a serious relationship and you're being coerced into this kind of activity get out before you move toward marriage!

More about the personal experience that motivated this post below the cut.

If you don't have something kind to say, DNI please. Thank you!

My best friend and I were talking on the phone about the relationship she was in and it totally broke my heart. She is dating a man who is already married. That man's wife is new in town and deeply shy, so she ends up having to spend a lot of her time hanging out with her husband and my best friend who is either a mistress or a home wrecker. My best friend knows she will never be this guy's top priority, and she recognizes that dating him won't lead her to marriage but she keeps doing it anyway. I was dissappointed in her for even accepting an arrangement like this, and so disgusted with him. She is wasting the best years of her life, and there is nothing I can do but stand by.

I told her that I didn't approve of her relationship and that I thought she deserved better and she launched into a whole diatribe about how Ive gotten so boring. I ultimatley ended the call by telling her that I loved her dearly but didn't want to hear anything more about this relationship so we could preserve our friendship.

Since I started looking at dating and marriage with a more critical eye, things like this have really stood out to me as unequal and unfair. She shouldn't be in this situation at all- but she doesn't have enough respect for herself or for this man's wife to end things and find a partner who will treat her right. It's moments like this that I wish I could share some more traditional ideas with people without risking the loss of my friend group.

I guess it's time for me to start looking for friends I can spend time with that I can fully be myself around.