Polygamy.....come get some?

So a chap in the States is kicking off about the fact he can't legally marry his second partner, his argument being that homosexuals got the right, why shouldn't he?

As we know Polygamy isn't a recent phenomenon, it's advocated by sum religions(obviously times being a hell of a lot different back then) so what's your view?

Have the countries that have legalised gay marriage opened the flood gates for things like this? Is equality truly for all or just a word we use for people who don't make up the vast majority?

Equality is for all , as long as it falls within the boundaries of current social mores.
Being gay has become acceptable to the majority so it is now generally increasingly seen as no big deal one way or the other.Fifty or even twenty years ago , this would not have been the case.
Society operates within its conventions and polygamy is deemed currently to be outside those.However polygamy, if entered into freely and being agreeable to all involved should be no big deal for society either but current culture dictates otherwise.
Another example:Public nudity , in and of itself should be no major issue either, but apart from some limited settings is intensely frowned upon by current society .
Equality is for all as long as you don't stray too far from the straight and narrow of society's norms.

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Originally Posted by nonpareil

Equality is for all , as long as it falls within the boundaries of current social mores.
Being gay has become acceptable to the majority so it is now generally increasingly seen as no big deal one way or the other.Fifty or even twenty years ago , this would not have been the case.
Society operates within its conventions and polygamy is deemed currently to be outside those.However polygamy, if entered into freely and being agreeable to all involved should be no big deal for society either but current culture dictates otherwise.
Another example:Public nudity , in and of itself should be no major issue either, but apart from some limited settings is intensely frowned upon by current society .
Equality is for all as long as you don't stray too far from the straight and narrow of society's norms.

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I always knew you were a nudist at heart, you definitely have that kick off the shackles of oppression vibe...those shackles being your clothes haha

Solid points though, also just a thought that came to me, who defined traditional marriage? considering the bible allows sex slaves and concubines, we really are a strange species

There are big differences between the old and new testaments.The old testament mostly deals with c.1900bc to c.500bc and has some basis in historical reality apart from the origin myth of Genesis.Our world has been framed far more by the new testament-1st century AD.Christainity developed from a sect of Judaism which has many rules and laws but became close to its modern version in the 300/400s AD as for various reasons the old Roman religion was abandoned.The Christians distinguished themselves from old Roman ways by having one God and likely more strictures on sexual habits.This was also a time of upheaval so possibly a somewhat puritanical religion was seen as needed in order to "put the world to rights"again.So monogamy and sexual conservatism have early roots in Christianity. These things have come down to the present.Monogamous marriage will also have suited males with property through the ages, to pass on their wealth to their genuine offspring and to keep such wealth in their family line.Marrige in the past would also have been a way to stop the female straying and so cut out the possibility of a male raising someone else's child.As a species we have a tendency to monogamy anyway (even if not complete) since in days of yore if both parents stuck around more children would be raised successfully to adulthood. Also if living conditions in the past were harsh monogamy was likely the default position, easier for one man to support one woman than several.So for various reasons one man, one woman has often been the model adopted by societies.

Straining against monogamy of course is the genetic advantage for a male to "spread his seed".However even if having children with other women if given the chance, he may likely concentrate on the children with one woman.There can also occasionally be a genetic advantage for a woman to stray.She could get pregnant by what she or her body tells her is a high genetic worth male but return to her first mate to raise the child- he may be a better parent and less likely to stray himself and he might never know the child wasn't his but raise it as his own.