After 72 whole days of marriage, reality television star Kim Kardashian issued a statement today:
“After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don’t work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best.”
Just as her wedding did, her announcement is getting a lot of attention. If you add up everything she received for having her wedding so publicly covered, which included a a $2 million ring, a $15k 10-tier wedding cake, three $20k Vera Wang dresses, $400k worth of champagne, and $10k invitations, among other gifts, as well as the $15 million for advertising sold and $2.5 million giving People Magazine exclusive rights, the Kardashian/Humphries wedding garnered the couple almost $18 million.
$18 million is quite the payday to only have to legally put up with each other for 72 days.
Meanwhile in America, same-sex couples can legally marry only in New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia. The majority of the country refuses to acknowledge same-sex marriage, with many citing the “sanctity” of marriage as a reason to be against it. Yet it is not only acceptable, but encouraged (as the $18 million going to the couple indicates) to legally marry someone essentially for the purpose of putting on a show and making money. Waiting 72 days to file for divorce is merely an inconvenience, not a poor moral or ethical choice.
I’ve witnessed the self-righteous ramblings of people telling other people that their love was an abomination and against God’s rules. I don’t claim to have insight into what God or any other religious beings believe, but I’m comfortable in thinking that Neil Patrick Harris and his significant other in a loving relationship with each other is a much more positive representation of marriage than Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are. The sad part is, eventually someone will again be paying Kardashian, this time for her break-up story and she’ll make even more money off of her sham of a marriage.