Anonymous User
Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 16, 2015 |
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 17, 2015 | Registered: 19 years ago Posts: 9,199 |
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I respectfully disagree with the assertion that Grist readers shouldn't have kids, at least not for environmental reasons. It's true that the world has too many people, and most of those people are filler. But the world still has, and will probably always have, a dearth of cool people. We will always be in need of more people who are awesome, and chances are, if you are reading Grist and care about the planet, we need more people like you. Whenever greens say they won't have kids for environmental/social justice reasons, all that means is we are clearing the way for the Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars of the world to pump out two dozen kids, level the rainforest to build factory farms to feed them, and outvote us every November.
What greens should be doing is the exact opposite- having tons of kids, so that twenty years from now we have a huge population of young people who are genetically and culturally prone to valuing environmental protection. Then we will see massive investment in innovation and technology that will help us build a better future. And then, we can think about scaling back on our numbers. Maybe.
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We have a large family - more kids than you can count on one hand. We live minimally in a cabin on a farm out in the country and are learning how to become self-reliant in the context of community. We moved from northern Virginia where one or two people live in gigantic suburban mansions and commute for hours at a time in humungous SUVs. Somehow I have my doubts about who is to blame for hastening the apocalypse - breeders like me - or the ultra-rich. I am teaching my children how to heal the world, provide for themselves and others. From my perspective this article brings up some interesting points but is dead wrong about the cruelty of bringing the next generation into our troubled world. Even if it was the end of the world I would still take Wendell Berry's advice and plant sequoias. What if my children hold the keys to solving some aspect of our crisis or at least saving many in the midst of the chaos? This is my hope and why we intentionally have children.
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 17, 2015 | Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 2,430 |
Anonymous User
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 17, 2015 |
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bell_flower
Here's a crunchy Dud who doesn't understand the pyramid of REDUCE, reuse, recycle. And of course his crotch-turds are going to Save The WorldTM
{...}
Much of the world is fucked up because people mindlessly breed and subcontract the problems to the NEXT generation. What if people actually had to buck up and make a difference themselves, instead of cranking out brats and abdicating their environmental responsibilities?
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 18, 2015 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 3,978 |
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What greens should be doing is the exact opposite- having tons of kids, so that twenty years from now we have a huge population of young people who are genetically and culturally prone to valuing environmental protection. Then we will see massive investment in innovation and technology that will help us build a better future. And then, we can think about scaling back on our numbers. Maybe.
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 18, 2015 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 337 |
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 18, 2015 | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 6,607 |
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paragon schnitzophonic
In the vein of breeders ruining environmental things, they ruin things meant to save the environment by turning it into trends and driving up the costs. Look at the current tiny house movement. Granted, it started in hipster central, aka, Portland, Oregon, so it was always going to become an overpriced fad, but once the hipster breeders got wind of it, they found a new way to get bragging points and street cred with their fellow granola breeders (and new life for the waning breeder blogs). Now I'm looking at 875-sq.ft. homes that are $350K. I live in an area with some of the highest cost of living in the country due to be one of the wealthiest counties and yet, I can get a house with more than twice the square footage for that price. I'd happily live in a tiny home, but a mortgage should not match my mother's on the 2000+ sq.ft. home I grew up in.
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 18, 2015 | Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 2,430 |
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 19, 2015 | Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 606 |
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 19, 2015 | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 6,607 |
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catharsist
I love tiny houses. Both my roommate and I want to build two right next to each other that connect. We want to live off the grid and have solar panels or windmills or some other awesome shit. I want mine to be purple and she wants a bay window where she can read. And I want a spa.. Because spa.
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 19, 2015 | Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 2,430 |
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Dorisan
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catharsist
I love tiny houses. Both my roommate and I want to build two right next to each other that connect. We want to live off the grid and have solar panels or windmills or some other awesome shit. I want mine to be purple and she wants a bay window where she can read. And I want a spa.. Because spa.
Dogtrot house?
I had kind of envisioned something like that for Dh and I. I can keep my side as neat and tidy as I like, not having to walk past his area and *sigh* over the clutter of debris that satellites his chair and table. And a tin roof - gotta have one of those. Sit in the trot area on a rainy day and listen to the rain drum on the roof. Being a kid-free household, that would be the noisiest it would ever get - but it would be a soothing noise, not a howling noise.
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 19, 2015 | Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 6,607 |
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catharsist
I didn't even know that a house like that existed! I just thought we would just mash two little houses together! This is a great idea to discuss with S! Thanks!
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 19, 2015 | Registered: 12 years ago Posts: 2,430 |
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 21, 2015 | Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 282 |
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 21, 2015 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 12,434 |
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trance formation usa
Bottom line: People are going to breed/not breed based on what they already want to do with their lives. If they want kids, they'll justify it by spewing made-up supporting evidence like "overpopulation is a myth" and "low birth rate destroys the economy." Meanwhile, those of us who lack parental instincts will stick to our doomsday scenarios (which are 100% realistic but aren't usually the primary reason for not reproducing if we're being honest). We're a selfish species who puts our own desires above the greater good.
Re: Why I'm Not Having Kids and You Shouldn't Either January 31, 2015 | Registered: 9 years ago Posts: 282 |