MoJo Blog highlights an odd passage in a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Brendan Miniter (perennial Luigi of the Brothers Miniter):
Although advocates of same-sex marriage will deny there is any connection to extending the institution to gay couples, a recent report released by the National Center for Health Statistics reveals why this debate is worth having now. The study found that although teen pregnancy rates are dropping, the number of out-of-wedlock births in America has been steadily rising since the 1990s.
The “although” would seem to suggest that what follows the first clause will constitute countervailing evidence. But there’s not even a hint as to how this is supposed to work. Out-of-wedlock births have been rising, and we should think this is connected to gay marriage because… it was in the 90s that the U.S. instituted gay marriage nationwide? Seriously, how is this argument supposed to work? Is just talking about gay marriage having this effect? Are married gay couples in the future producing queer tachyons that travel back in time to erode marriage in the present? I’m dying to know.
2 responses so far ↓
1 steveintheknow // Nov 29, 2006 at 5:49 pm
Thats funny, I thought gay marriage was the result of increasing gas prices, terrorism, and global warming. Oh wait, global warming is the reason for the decline in the number of pirates. Anyway, the point is that causality isn’t just for linear systems anymore, its for the family.
2 Aaron Matthew Arnwine // Nov 30, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Hey, this is a great blog. I ran across your blog with a “homocon” search in google.
I’ll be back frequently.
Cheers!