n While I am not saying that meaningful social commentary cannot be gained from publications like People and US, I would like to point out the hypocrisy in Colin Minich’s comments in “Sanctity of marriage lost on Americans” (pg. 6, Jan. 27). I do think many people go into relationships with false expectations and do become disillusioned. Of course making divorces more difficult isn’t going to cut down on the number of divorces. It will, however, make it more difficult for people to get out of situations they do not want to be in.

Maybe it is better to base relationships on things more concrete than “absolute love” and “true love,” as the writer suggested. Love is a fleeting emotion and a social construct – marriage is a civic contract. Like any other contract, it should be entered into with responsible adults who are in a position to give consent. Beyond that, very little matters.

I do however take offense at the moralistic nature of the first perspective. Please do remember that your morals and values are different than mine. As a responsible adult with the ability to enter into a civic contract I should be able to leave it without being thought less of. Of course the termination of a marriage has consequences, but so does entering into one. The sanctity of marriage likewise can be questioned. Just what is so sacred about it really? If you look at it through Catholic history, it was one of the later sacraments to be taken up by the Church, due to public demand. Before that, it was a civic service provided by the government.

Hollywood doesn’t claim to be a responsible provider of morals. Hollywood provides entertainment, and entertainment is its own reason for being. If you choose to receive your morals and ethics from what is meant to be distraction then you have no one to blame but yourself.

Beyond that I am befuddled as to the reason pedophiles were brought into the discussion. Being a pedophile and a homosexual is not related. I am a heterosexual woman; I am attracted to adult males. A homosexual man is attracted to adult men. Pedophiles are attracted to children. I don’t understand the confusion. The comment about priests being homosexual is also questionable. I would like to see some proof. Otherwise, it is yet another popular myth like “true love.”

Laura Eloyan

CAS ’05