Marriedsplaining/Couplesplaining

​The phrase “’splaining” has entered the public lexicon lately as a way of defining how members of privileged groups “talk down” to marginalized groups. Mansplaining is the most common one.  It’s defined as “the explanation of something by a man, typically to a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.”  I even found a really cool chart here that breaks it down.  Ever since the tragedy involving George Floyd and subsequent protests, I’ve become more conscious of my own white privilege and have been researching ways I can be an ally.  In this article a friend sent me, I learned about the term “whitesplaining,” which involves a white person trying to offer a “better insight/opinion” to that of a person of color.
 
In my book, How to be a Happy Bachelor, I coined the term procreamania, to refer to society’s obsession with procreation and the concept of “family.”  Now, I’d like to add another, a term that I hope becomes a popular one: couplesplaining or marriedsplaining.
 
On the various single pages of which I’m a part, people vent about various aspects of singlehood.  On the Single Serving Podcast page, many share about their dating horror stories or ask for dating advice.  The Community of Single People page doesn’t have dating discussions, but people do share about slights and discriminations against single people.  These two pages are safe zones, but when we exit those spaces, it becomes a different dynamic.  I’ll start with an example from my experience. 
 
I once posted a news report about how Vicki Larson argues that singles should receive the same benefits as married couples.  Outside of my singles groups, I don’t typically get a ton of feedback or “likes” on those rare occasions when I post about these things.  However, a married “friend,” decided to comment, “I’m not quite following. Married couples and families pay additional for benefits that cover additional parties” (I put “friend” in quotes because some of his previous condescending comments about singletons essentially caused me to not call him anymore, but since we go back to childhood, I still grant him a place on my Facebook page).  That’s couplesplaining, mentioning how hard it is for married folks when singles try to advocate for themselves.
 
Fortunately, I responded with Bella’s article about marital privilege, as did she.  Said “friend” had nothing to respond with. 
 
Many singletons who aren’t “single at heart’ face challenges in their dating lives, so they may vent to their married/coupled friends.  When they’re venting, they’re not looking for advice; they just want someone to listen.  Marriage apparently doesn’t help everyone with their listening skills because some folks want to preach.  “When I was dating my wife, yada yada…” or “Put yourself out there!  Time’s a-wasting!”  Coupled people need to learn to shut the f__ up about their “expertise” on dating.  After all, some of them have been married so long they don’t know how dating works in the 21st century. 
 
Oh, and if you’re a singleton and you mention your happiness around a married person, chances are, that married person might get uncomfortable.  If he’s feeling really salty, he might talk about how good his marriage is, or how good marriage is in general.  Bella (and I) would call that person a matrimaniac.
 
In a future post, I’ll write a bit more diplomatically about how coupled people can support singletons.  But, for now, the moral of the story is: coupled folks, please shut the f___ up about our single lives.