What do you think about arranged marriages?

What do you think about arranged marriage, a culture followed in some countries where the parents choose their son/daughter's life partner.

Is it for the good or bad?

Tell me your honest opinion.

Well, it obviously works for some people and is very common in many cultures including where I come from . The divorce rate among "love" marriages is actually much higher, in fact, it's very high. This is because people often marry for fleeting love or lust, which waxes and wanes with time. If there is no deeper commitment to the person, the end result can be infidelity (cheating), unhappiness, and divorce. See it all of the time.

That's not to say that all love marriages are doomed or that all arranged marriages are good. Either can be a good choice or a bad choice.

I think like anything else, there are always a balance of pros and cons, which need to be weighed out.

I kinda feel the same way. I don't like forced marriages, but for some, arranged marriages are a part of their culture and I will respect that.

In fact I spoke to a very healthy independent Indian girl who said she was happy that her parents would pick a spouse for her.

Terrible!
The parents basically sell their daughters.

The guy gets off easy because he can always cheat/hire prostitutes.

It is some peoples culture, and i suppose i do not have a say in it. But i do not agree with it. I think humans should find their partner the way animals do. It is much more cuter this way. I recently saw a discovery show about humpback whales, where the males were fighting for the females attention and possible chance to mate. lol I thought that was cute.
Let me add though that unfortunately some males could die in the process, and that is not cute.

Not sure how often it happens the US but i know in ASIA/ Africa it happens a lot. frankly i would never forgive my parents

bad idea

Well, I'm not sure Americans have arranged marriages but I know that many immigrants who live in America do. Some of the reasons why arranged marriages work are both families look for both partners of equal qualifications (eg. education, looks, personal attributes, values, cultures (for compatibility)), both partners have limited number or none ( x-partners) and both families are involved.

A friend of mine who was a junior in high school started going out with some guy and her parents found out. Usually in Albania, you're not allowed to date until you're at least 18 and she was only 17, so they did not approve of their relationship. 2 moths later they took her to Albania and introduced her to some Albanian guy. They met, they liked each other and they got married. As simple as that.

this is not cultural , this is religious and is part of a system that thrives in the oppression of women. also theyre illegal in the us ... so really your not sure if they're good or bad .
its like asking..... rape is part of a lot of cultures around the world , so it is good or bad?
btw to all the people that said its okay if its cultural..thats nasty and analyze yourself because that sounds like a radically oppressive point of view. Do people forget that around the world 13 y.os are been sold to 50 y.o for a pig? i also love how people have that "as long as its not happening to me, its all good!" attitude

Well it would be nice having everyone choose their own partner but that's not always the case. For those religious group that do, well I can't argue with them since its their beliefs.

It depends on who you get arranged with. If the chick is hot and has a nice personality then ya, your parents saved you a ton of time that would've gone to waste from searching (especially if you are lazy). But if the chick is a no-no, then screw deranged marriage. Wait a minute, I was actually thinking of arranged dating not marriage. Who da hell wants to get married anyway?