The blind leading the bride

You've got to hand it to Rupert Murdoch's media empire, it's never bothered to let facts or consistency get in the way of a good story.

As the US continues to obsess about Proposition 8 and the debate over definitions of marriage, Murdoch's flagship news channel Fox News continues to portray the threat that gays in committed relationships pose to 'traditional' heterosexual marriage.

In typically 'fair and balanced' style, leading blowhard Bill O'Reilly has been particularly vocal about the danger of same-sex unions. He's right to be concerned since, as he quite rightly states, gay marriage could lead to marriage with goats, ducks and dolphins. He's also worried that the longer the issue is debated, the more likely it is that other social issues will follow, meaning that limited gun possession, legalised class-A drugs and unrestricted abortion will be next on the list.

So it's probably good news that Fox doesn't seem to hold up any mirrors to itself, otherwise there might be a few raised eyebrows about what's happening elsewhere in the Fox portfolio. For example, it was announced this week that the Fox Network is developing an arranged marriage reality show, where brides-to-be don’t meet their husbands until they exchange vows. And of course it will all happen in front of the cameras. The show's called “I Married a Stranger” and each episode will cover the preparations for a woman's blind wedding, after their friends and family select a spouse for her. The first time the 'happy' couple meet is the moment they say "I do".

Whenever gay unions are on the agenda, the argument trotted out is that its opponents aren't homophobic, they're just concerned about the sanctity of marriage. So one has to wonder about what a show that encourages women to marry strangers does for the sanctity of marriage. No-one seemed too concerned about marriage as an institution to be defended when Britney Spears married for 55 hours or Drew Barrymore managed to last five whole weeks.

Marriage is an institution. Which means it's strong enough to weather societal changes, from women's suffrage to civil rights. Henry VIII invented a new religion in order to evolve marriage, so I really don't see why this is such a controversial issue. If anything, we should be more worried about yet another shitty reality show. Wasn't The Bachelorette punishment enough?