Marriage for finacial reasons

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2005-03-13 08:39pm

Punk Rocker grrrl Patti Smyth and controversial homosexual artist Robert Maplethorp were married for over a decade (until maplethorpe's death), primarily for housing, and insurance/tax reasons, however when Maplethorpe started to sucumb to HIV, Smyth dropped her touring and spent the last years of his life taking care of him.)

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2005-03-13 08:55pm

So...what exactly are you getting at?

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2005-03-13 09:09pm

Trying to provoke discussion, especially with all of the "traditional marriage" controversy running amok.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2005-03-13 09:13pm

I see nothing wrong with marriages of convenience, as long as both parties know what they're getting into.

Duckie · Post by **Duckie** » 2005-03-13 10:35pm

And much of marriage [at least in Europe, which is my body of historical knowledge], indeed all the way up to the middle ages, was mostly a financial/political/aristocratic affair. So it's not as if it doesn't have a precedent.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2005-03-13 10:50pm

one could easily argue that marriage for love is the new bizarre concept.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-03-14 12:17am

Financial/economic reasons have historically been dominant factors is deciding marriages and not just with the upper class. The family is an economic unit and the labour/skills/resources of both partners was often a determining factor. Those lower down on the totem pole often live quite close to the wire and needed everything both partners could provide.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-03-14 06:25am

As long as everyone knows what they're getting into, I have no problems with marriages for love, finances, housing, platonic friendship or whatever.

Seems to me Smyth more than kept her end of the bargain. Sounds like she's a good person and true friend to stick around his final years - plenty of people who married for love have bolted when their partner came down with a fatal illness.