Direct De-mockery

Laura Sucheski: Supporters of “traditional marriage” may soon have the opportunity to legally ban divorce.  That’s right…  ban it. As of today, proponents of the 2012 California Marriage Protection Act may begin collecting signatures to get their proposal on the ballot. You can read the qualified language here. RescueMarriage.org, the organization behind the proposed ban, tells us: “You said ’til death do us part.’  You’re not dead yet.”   This initiative, writes sponsor John Marcotte, is a “logical extension” of Prop. 8,  which “did not go far enough in protecting traditional marriage.”

Although the law, if enacted, would actually ban divorce, the movement is really a parody of those who supported Proposition 8. Spend a few minutes perusing the site and it becomes obvious that their intentions are less than genuine.   Their aim is to catch Prop. 8 supporters between a rock and a hard place, forcing them to remain consistent in defending traditional marriage by religious standards while also supporting a legal ban of divorce, which may be a stretch.   One of two hilarious public service announcements on their site makes the joke abundantly clear:

Both sides don’t know how to treat Marcotte.  He’s a well-known social prankster, although this is the first time he has used the institution of direct democracy for a joke.   Yet he insists the movement is for real, and it seems that people on both sides can’t make up their minds.  He said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network: “I get attacked from people that think I’m kidding and think I’m making fun of the Prop 8 people, and then on the other side I’m getting attacked from the left, who think that I’m serious.”

Who knows what will happen if this actually makes it to the ballot?