I was grown before I found out cousin marriage was legal anywhere in modernity; I knew Charles Darwin had married his first cousin but assumed that had become illegal since. Where I grew up it is on the level of a sibling taboo, i.e. would not even cross most people's minds as possible.
One of my lovers is my wife's third cousin (see above), which is about at a level where people in my area of birth would start shrugging shoulders and saying well if you really must-- the way this would go down would be a lot of people saying in gossipy scandalized tones 'they're cousins' and getting the instant, not-quite-excusing reply from their respondants 'by marriage'. Of course since we are both female that trumps everything in terms of unacceptable-in-those-parts.
If I were involved with anyone with that degree of consanguinity who was biological instead of by marriage I would never ever hear the last of it from my extended family. Third cousin also gets scandalized but-if-you-must. Fourth is no longer scandalous but gets mentioned in the way that people get mentioned who are unusually tall etc. I have the data readily accessible to what I think would be ninth.
So this is a U.S. thing then? I had assumed it was a rural-vs.-urban divide in that way where people care less after you move to the city.
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Date: 2012-10-15 02:34 am (UTC)One of my lovers is my wife's third cousin (see above), which is about at a level where people in my area of birth would start shrugging shoulders and saying well if you really must-- the way this would go down would be a lot of people saying in gossipy scandalized tones 'they're cousins' and getting the instant, not-quite-excusing reply from their respondants 'by marriage'. Of course since we are both female that trumps everything in terms of unacceptable-in-those-parts.
If I were involved with anyone with that degree of consanguinity who was biological instead of by marriage I would never ever hear the last of it from my extended family. Third cousin also gets scandalized but-if-you-must. Fourth is no longer scandalous but gets mentioned in the way that people get mentioned who are unusually tall etc. I have the data readily accessible to what I think would be ninth.
So this is a U.S. thing then? I had assumed it was a rural-vs.-urban divide in that way where people care less after you move to the city.