[i]Married at First Sight’s[/i] Failed Attempt at Shock Value

I confess that I have never seen an episode of Married at First Sight (although I think the more embarrassing confession would be that I had seen one…). Reality television is almost too easy a target; pretty much everyone recognizes it as garbage. But the fact that this particular reality show is not all that shocking reflects the direction our culture has taken regarding marriage. To clarify before we dive in, the premise of Married at First Sight is fairly obvious from the title: two strangers get legally married right after meeting each other.

This kind of show relies on shock value but fails to produce it. In our culture, marriage is a mere contract, and everything exists merely for our pleasure. Marriage is based only on emotional love. When the novelty wears off, no-fault divorce is there to help. New arrangements continue to appear; throuples, open relationships, and wedleases (the marriage contract is not permanent but rather involves renewable leases) have become or are becoming fashionable. In light of this cultural backdrop, then, why should I be impressed that these people are choosing to marry strangers? The show itself even incorporates a choice of whether to separate or remain together a few weeks after the marriage. If this is what marriage has become, there’s no reason to be impressed by their “bold” decisions. Their “marriages” are essentially long blind dates with no long-term consequences.

This conception of marriage is useless. In a culture of immediacy, marriage can provide stability and permanence. The family is the bedrock of a healthy society. We need to restore the Christian meaning of marriage. The institution of marriage needs to return to its original design—as a reflection of Christ’s marriage to the Church—instead of being used as yet another means toward maximizing our own subjective pleasure.