-Tyranny of the Married-

I've heard other names for it. Basically, this was the gutteral response I blurted when I felt cornered by a group of married women returning from a bridal shower:

"What is this, the tyranny of the married?"

Put aside, for a moment, all of the practical points running down the single/couple scorecard, all the talk of marriage taxes, joint filing, insurance benefits, and such.
This is a simple observation: married couples develop a certain smugness, conscious and unconcious, used to inflict damage on single people.

Whether the spouse present or not, a married person conversing with a single person knows that a spousal influence may be brought to bear in the event of a tie. "Is that so? Well, my husband also had that happen, but he managed to..." A single person is in no position to argue. Even the most mature single man or woman feels somewhat ashamed that he or she has not managed to "settle down with someone." So a ghost vote from an absent spouse must be grudgingly counted, even in the face of most logic.

Spending time on both sides of the equation leads me to an interesting quandary.

Normally, I root without fail for underdog teams, underprivileged children, and third parties. I've gone so far as to steer clear of career paths that might make too much money at the expense of others. Why, then, should I not prefer to remain single the way I've chosen to remain childless, to be different from the majority?

Because love conquered me so well, I'll even collaborate with its heavy-handed tactics of abusing others. Even now, years after the junta of love was expelled from my shores, I still desire love's return.

This said, I'm going to go frown at a book for awhile.