No Other One

Arnold Kling:

The exercise of voice [...] is not the ultimate expression of freedom. Rather, it is the last refuge of those who suffer under a monopoly.

Using Hirschman's famous distinction between exit and voice (Wikipedia), Kling is writing about democratic vs. market mechanisms, but it made me think of something I heard from friends about an acquaintance of theirs. They invited her to a party they were planning, but she declined. Why would she want to go to parties now that she'd found a boyfriend?

I'm not opposed to love, goodness gracious, but there are way too many people out there who think that without a partner they are somehow not a complete person, and this gives rise not just to limited views on the utility of parties, but also to the saddening sight of a mushy grey stream of tired couples flowing through our streets, forever sticking together in their vague dissatisfaction.

And that, my friends, is the true poverty of the affluent world.