Altar'd Reality

One of my bigger pet peeves is a woman who insists on pressuring her boyfriend into proposing. And, to be fair, I'm not a huge fan of marriage to begin with. But a lot of that distaste comes from an outdated overvaluing of the "institution." Unfortunately, far too many people today see marriage as a step to cross off in the checklist for a fulfilling life. This has led to far too many women feeling that landing a husband is the be-all, end-all measure of their quality of life.

Don’t get me wrong: If one or both of the people in the couple are over 25, they've been dating without serious disruption for several years, and are by all accounts really good together, I see no problem with them mutually deciding that they want to put a ring on it. I constantly tell Baby Joey, for instance, that he needs to quit dragging his feet with regards to proposing to TD. But for every couple like that, there are another four girls who are under-25 and convinced that their otherwise-happy lives are empty and meaningless because their deadbeat under-25 boyfriends haven’t dropped to one knee and given them a chance to dress up like princesses in front of all of their friends and families. It’s a desperate mind state that reeks of paranoia [I really should consider a career with Hallmark].

Need a vivid example of this epidemic of misplaced self-worth? Look no further than this story from The Huffington Post:

A Chicago woman faces disorderly conduct charges after she decided to call 911 hoping to scare her boyfriend into proposing marriage.

Ana Perez, 40, called 911 Sunday night claiming her boyfriend was attacking her, but changed her story when officers arrived, according to WBBM.

"She called 911 to scare [her boyfriend] and have the police force him to marry her," Grand Central District police Capt.

I doubt Ms. Perez knows just what a favor she was doing her boyfriend when she made that phone call. I'd say that there's a very good chance that he does, though:

Police said her boyfriend was breaking up with her when she made the call.

When you break up with someone, there's always that immediate moment afterwards where you wonder if you've made a big mistake. I get the feeling this guy didn't have that moment.