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Historically, marriage has had little to do with love and has been more about peace between warring tribes, or the accumulation of cattle, or pawning your daughter into a lifetime of servitude to settle a ridiculously small debt your grandfather owed to some richer dude's grandfather.

So when you think if it that way, there's nothing too unusual about choosing your life partner from a Web-based lineup of foreign women striking poses reminiscent of old magazine ads for 976 chat lines.

Proponents of mail-order marriages -- which is much more of a process than simply snapping your fingers and ordering a girl -- will tell you many have found happiness in the arrangement, which tends to bring together partners who believe in more traditional sex roles. On the other hand, critics of the practice will argue the whole thing carries with it a whiff of desperation and human trafficking.

We've put together some of the best reasons for and against using what are now called "international correspondence services" after the jump.

Pro:
-- Mail-order marriages have a significantly lower divorce rate than traditional marriages. (Which is a good thing, because once you fail with a mail-order bride, you're down to robots, and we're not quite there yet.)

-- Many married couples will agree that having a hand in the establishment of your spouse's working vocabulary could contribute to a more harmonious home life.

-- Just about every single Web site advertising mail-order brides makes mention of what hard workers the ladies are. So if you're planning on earning extra money by building a sweatshop in your garage, this may well be the way to go.

Con:
-- Most of the countries you can order a mail-order bride from are the same ones you would think twice about ordering a toaster from.

-- If things really start getting bad here in America, your supposed life partner might go right back on the Internet, looking for a guy in a better country.

-- You know that guilty half-whisper voice people use when they mention that someone they know has cancer? Well, once you go the route of the international correspondence service, your friends and family will be forced to use that voice when discussing your martial situation.