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Located in the heart of the Salinas Valley, a Greenfield father is accused of trying to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage. And how much was his nubile daughter worth to him? $16,000, 100 cases of beer, and several cases of meat. Arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, father of the year Macelino de Jesus Martinez, 36, went back to the unidentified 18-year-old suitor because payment wasn't made as promised. Jesus. What's more, according to the MomLogic, "Police say arranged marriages involving underage girls have become a problem in this small Central Coast farming community." Who knew? Strange.
Greenfield Man Accused of Selling Daughter for Cash, Beer, Meat
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If there were an OaklandIST, this would be the big story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtKNoLFHom
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I Blame The Patriarchy.
You do that, honey.
$16,000 for a 14 year old? I guess that makes sense because it cost me $32,000 to get divorced from a 28 year old. And to think, I could have had 2 14 year olds instead. /sarcasm /heavy
Wait, I thought dowrys were supposed to flow in the other direction.
You're right. When they flow in this direction we call it prostitution.
Actually, there is the concept of "bride price", which has been/is practiced in some parts of the world. In that context, the groom's family pays the bride's family some amount.
http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/tutor/marriage/bride_wealth.html
My relatives in Nigeria still do this, but in my (admittedly limited) experience, it's often a somewhat token offering that is symbolic and more about maintaining tradition than compensating anyone for anything.
Not that this situation should be considered to fall under this characterization at all (or that I'm a fan of the idea of a "bride price" as originally conceived).
Would it be offensive to ask what kind of beer?
Yes. And I am DYING to know that and the cut of meat.
That makes three of us.
According to the news, the deal specifically involved:
100 cases of Corona
50 cases of Modelo
6 bottles of wine
50 cases of soft drinks
50 cases of Gatorade
Going by averages that's over $4000 worth of beverages including CRV.
No word on what cuts of meat.
Awesome! CNN says it was six cases of meat and that the food and beverage was for the wedding. Okay, now that makes sense.
This is an outrage! I call for a Prop-8-style constitutional ban on child marriages. Or is statutory rape not as bad as gay marriage? They're so similar.
There's Google street views of Greenfield. Man, that place looks depressing.
"but she's under California's legal age of consent and can't legally marry."
Disagree with that.
A valid marriage might be a defense to any statutory rape charge, depending.
Even if buying a 14-year-old wife is all the rage in Salinas, I think I'd rather take that cash, beer, and meat and throw a party for 18-year-old girls in SF.
The man in question is a Native American/Amerindian/Indigenous from the Triqui Tribe in Oaxaca, Mexico. He is not "Mexican" per se, but ethnically Native American and has a different cultural system than your common mestizo Mexican. The news distorted their cultural practice of marriages, in this case the DOWRY system!!!!!