That your friend group appears to be a bunch of losers. Y'know what they say about the company ya keep though!

Neither you or I know these people well enough to truly know what's going on in these marriages. Speaking as a long time married man there must have been a hundred times we were on the brink of divorce but that's the whole point you stick it out because if you don't you run the risk of totally fucking up your adult life.

I know two couples that are really just roommates because they can't afford to go out on their own in a city that's so overpriced and are not prepared to go back to having roommates at this stage of their lives. I'm sure if I know two couples, they're more in the same situation.

Seems like you struck some nerves with people in the sort of "relationship" you described.

You are either projecting your own insecurities on others (according to you even happy couples are only staying together for kids, renos or vacations) or don't understand that relationships have an ebb and flow to them.

Seems like you struck a nerve in single people that have never been in relationships.

We are primates. Most primates, including chimps and gorillas which are most like us, are non-monogamous. Monogamy is not "natural." It's a human invention and successful to the extent that 2 people usually stay together just long enough to see the offspring get close to puberty. People lose interest after that because there gets to be less biological need after that.

... in Vancouver is that affording single accom. is so difficult for average people that to live you basically need a roommate or a partner, and a partner, even if you don't like him or her, is likely to be easier to manipulate than a roommate.

Humans are dastardly creatures...

Monogamy isn't natural?
Aren't our non-human fellow earthlings part of nature?? There are a bunch of species that are monogamous -even after having offspring.
Did humans instill monogamy into them???

Ahh non-monogamy, the preferred lifestyle choice of narcissists and ego maniacs