they did as they were told (nuclear family) and didn't think about it enough. it was also big in humor when they were formulating their ideas of matrimony.

i don't think it's completely different from people saying they want to kill themselves as a joke. someone who has no idea what it's like to be suicidal might wonder how a person could feel that way about themselves. fwiw, when i'm suicidal, i probably hate myself more than they hate their wife. suicide as humor seems prevalent today in the same way as jokes like, "Take my wife... please." were when boomers were learning how to be in relationships.