Poly groups tend to be well-educated well-paid white people
I’m baffled by this. Are you saying most studies tend to be done on this group? Do you mean in the US? Are you referring to groups who call themselves poly, or the general practice of honest nonmonogamy?
As you discuss in the dropbox link, this is a pretty massive selection bias. I’d suggest that this invalidates any statement made on the basis of these studies about “poly people,” since most poly people seem not to be included. People all over the world are poly, in every country, of every race and class.
It’s as if we did a study of “rationalists” and only included people on LW, ignoring any scientists, policy makers, or evidence-based medical researchers, simply because they didn’t use the term “rationalist.”
You state:
While polyamory communities have blossomed for decades in the USA (cf. Munson and Stelboum 1999a; Anderlini-D’Onofrio 2004c), polyamory is still quite unknown in Europe. The social organisation of polyamorous communities is not very advanced in most European countries.
Clearly polyamory is not unknown in Europe, though the word “polyamory” might be. Let’s not confuse polyamory, which exists anytime someone openly dates two people, with socially organized communities using the term “polyamory.”
Sorry, I couldn’t tell what was a quote and what wasn’t.
Polyamory is usually defined as honest nonmonogamy. In other words, any time someone is dating two people openly, that’s poly. It’s how many humans naturally behave. It doesn’t require exposure to US poly communities, or any community in general for that matter.
Many humans behave in a serial monogamy manner—which is not poly. Many humans behave in a covert polygamy manner—which is not poly. Whether there is very much left after that which matches US polyamory, I wouldn’t know...
I’m baffled by this. Are you saying most studies tend to be done on this group? Do you mean in the US? Are you referring to groups who call themselves poly, or the general practice of honest nonmonogamy?
Yes, yes, and former.
As you discuss in the dropbox link, this is a pretty massive selection bias. I’d suggest that this invalidates any statement made on the basis of these studies about “poly people,” since most poly people seem not to be included. People all over the world are poly, in every country, of every race and class.
It’s as if we did a study of “rationalists” and only included people on LW, ignoring any scientists, policy makers, or evidence-based medical researchers, simply because they didn’t use the term “rationalist.”
You state:
Clearly polyamory is not unknown in Europe, though the word “polyamory” might be. Let’s not confuse polyamory, which exists anytime someone openly dates two people, with socially organized communities using the term “polyamory.”
I think that remains to be seen, unless one is quietly defining away polyamory as a dull negation of monogamy.
I didn’t state that; Klesse did. Between you and Klesse, I know who I will put more weight on.
Sorry, I couldn’t tell what was a quote and what wasn’t.
Polyamory is usually defined as honest nonmonogamy. In other words, any time someone is dating two people openly, that’s poly. It’s how many humans naturally behave. It doesn’t require exposure to US poly communities, or any community in general for that matter.
Many humans behave in a serial monogamy manner—which is not poly. Many humans behave in a covert polygamy manner—which is not poly. Whether there is very much left after that which matches US polyamory, I wouldn’t know...