Just Thinking...
Back in the 50s (before I was aware of such things), a 'mixed marriage' involved people of different religions - a Catholic and Protestant couple primarily with an occasional Jewish and Christian couple as I understand my social history.
In the late 60s and 70s, a 'mixed marriage' tended to be a mixed race couple - usually Black and Caucasion (that marriage mix didn't occur much before the 1960s because of anti-miscegenation laws in many states).
I would say that the next stage of 'mixed marriages" would be same sex unions - except, of course, marriage isn't a part of the equation. I think that the same societal uproar is heard about the coupling regardless of the actual marriage.
However serious, today I think that the real mixed marriage is between "green" people and "non-green" people! You know - "green people" those who recycle, reuse, use up, buy less, and basically believe in leaving a very light footprint on the earth.
The "non-green" people are those who tear off a full section of a paper towel, make a one time swipe over a wet spot on the counter and toss out the paper towel! (They could have used a dish towel and let it dry - no paper towel at all!)
Living with any roommate is difficult. Marriage is difficult. But living with a roommate to whom you are married is very difficult when you don't have the same recycling goals. One person tosses the newspaper in the trash along with the barely wrinkled paper towel, the other one wants to use washable cloth towels and put the weeks' newspaper in the recylcle bin.
"Green" people don't toss out the plastic containers that come with frozen food (if they are pressured into buying frozen food in plastic dishes - at least they will reuse the containers) but the non-green person just tosses the once used items into the trash with the non-recycled newspapers! The horror of it all.
It is shocking how many more times a day that recycling comes into play than race or religion. While Christmas must cause some areas of conflict for the Jewish/Christian couple and mixed race couples may have color issues periodically (how long to sit in the sun?), recycling, reusing and reducing is a daily/hourly opportunity for frustration and irritations.
I think that the sociologists better jump on this problem very quickly. There seem to be no laws against green/non-green marriages - and I'm pretty sure that this very important social issue is going to cause more and more divorces! Or injuries :( Speak up - don't let this happen in your family!
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