Relationships

A Question for the “Piece of Paper” Crew

Written by Nicole

If you run in certain comment sections, you may have undoubtedly seen the “argument” that “marriage is just a piece of paper”. Now, if you do or don’t want to get married is irrelevant in this situation. You can be the happily married wife or the happily single woman. What was it that Emma Watson said? Self-partnered? Yeah, that. Everything isn’t for everybody, and that’s okay! I’m sure the readers of this blog know why marriage is not just a piece of paper. However, instead of painstakingly explaining why marriage is in fact, not just a piece of paper, I wanted to explore different pieces of paper, and maybe figure out a common thread. Let’s begin!

 

Is a crisp $100 bill just a piece of paper?

One could say that money is the most powerful piece of paper out there. Every item on this list can directly impact your ability to make, spend, save, or interact in any way with money. If you don’t have some form of this piece of paper, life will be very difficult. People have died and killed for money. Wars have been waged for resources that can earn lots of money. And no matter how much you have, everybody wants more.

Piece of paper status:  Not just a piece of paper

Is a birth certificate just a piece of paper?

Birth certificates, and by extension, any document that states your claim to live or work in a country (like a visa, naturalization papers, and so on) are all very important documents. Without them, you might not be able to get reasonable employment, or travel. In some cases, you will need one piece of paper (birth certificate) to secure a different piece of paper (citizenship papers). And in yet another scenario, one could use marriage to get a Green Card, a fairly common tactic.

Piece of paper status:  Not just a piece of paper

Is a university diploma just a piece of paper?

I’ve heard that a degree won’t keep you warm at night (a lie perpetuated by people with a vested interest in keeping women dumb). But I cannot recall ever hearing that the diploma at the end of your university exploits being hailed as just a piece of paper. That paper signifies a level of expertise granted after many years of education. Without this paper, you may not even qualify for certain jobs! You may have one piece of paper (let’s say, a Bachelor’s degree), but your dream job not only requires even more advanced schooling (say, a terminal degree), but licensure as well (e.g.: a lot of health professions).
Piece of paper status:  Not just a piece of paper

Is a bill of your choosing just a piece of paper?

Your mortgage, your electricity, your water, your heating, your student loans. Even though you may pay these online, they are still pieces of paper. If those pieces of paper are not paid with the piece of paper from the top of this list, you may end up homeless, thirsty, cold, and on Sallie Mae’s hit list.
Piece of paper status:  Not just a piece of paper

Is that stimulus check just a piece of paper?

No matter how you feel about either side of the political aisle, I’m pretty sure you want another stimulus check if you are eligible. Even if it hit your account as a direct deposit, at some point, it was a piece of paper.
Piece of paper status:  Not just a piece of paper

Somehow, the same contingent of people screaming the loudest that marriage is just a piece of paper, can still somehow tell that the examples above are not just pieces of paper! Marriage, like many documents, is a legal contract between two people. Entering such a contract with an idiot is not wise, and no amount of papers can fix something that was doomed from the get go. But entering a contract with a sensible person who shares your hopes, dreams, goals,  and a commitment to achieving them can be great! Being married takes work, across the board. Marriage is certainly not just a piece of paper.  If someone tells you it is, see if they will give you the deed to their car or house,  no questions asked. After all, those are just pieces of paper, right?

Disclaimer: This blog was written by me, Nicole, and my ideas are not necessarily reflective of Christelyn Karazin or other writers on this platform.

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