Polyamory is totally in right now.
It’s been covered in all the best and brightest digital media, from the Atlantic to ELLE to Forbes. Everyone wants to weigh in on the relationship dynamic. Even the Daily Mail, of all places, seems to have a hot take on polyamory–and they don’t seem to hate it.
The time has come to ask: has polyamory hit the tipping point?
There was a time where monogamy was the go-to default, where you had to create polycules in your personal Tumblr headcanon. Now it’s getting airtime at SXSW, on House of Cards, even being discussed in relationship to that thunderdome of red roses, the Bachelor. Have we reached a place in society where the perfect couple isn’t a couple anymore?
More to the point… do we want that?
If polyamory becomes normalized, what will happen to our daytime television? So many shows revolve around the complications of juggling more than one person unethically–if the answer is always just “communicate more”, that’s going to make for some terrible prime time reality shows. Rather than competition, which is exciting and tense and involves a winner and a loser, there’ll just be compersion, with everyone getting along and talking about their feelings.
Which would you rather watch while eating your pizza rolls?
I mean, let’s take a step back here.
WALKING DEAD SPOILERS
Let’s be honest. If polyamory was more common on television, would we have had such an intense moment if Abraham had said to Rosita “When I first met you, I thought you were the last woman on earth–well, now that I know there’s other women, I can also have feelings for, and we’re not constantly struggling to survive, maybe we can expand our relationship to include Sasha”?
Of course not! Dogged attachment to monogamy over any other relationship style is part of what gives our media the passion and tension that viewers crave. It’s just no fun if people don’t have to make these choices.
How can we, as consumers know our identities if we don’t have a team to cheer for?
These open relationships may be the trendy millennial thing to do, but if we don’t take a stand, it’s going to ruin our entertainment.
Well, at least until networks hire more creative writers.
Has Polyamory Hit The Tipping Point?
— Thinkpiece Bot ()
You can learn more about ThinkPieceBot and Nora Reed here.