this post was submitted on 30 May 2024
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago

If young Americans had financial stability, better mental health, hope for the future, etc. I'm sure that birth rate would go back up.

It's not like people don't enjoy fucking anymore. It's just that they're more careful than ever not to reproduce, because they can't afford parenthood.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Uh yeah, that'll happen when we are financially ruined for life and facing an ever worsening climate disaster because of greedy pieces of shit. If we can't reliably support ourselves, how can we support children?

Just what the fuck are we supposed to do with that???

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago

Wonder how nice it would be not to put 0‐20% of your income into a 401k. Or the money I need to put into a HSA in case I get destroyed in medical bills. Or crippling student debt. Maybe that money could go into housing or children.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I can't understand why anyone would expect most people to want to have kids. I can hardly afford to take care of myself, things look like they're only likely to get worse, and all indicators are that if I did have kids, they would be facing an even worse future when they hit adulthood. Why would I do that to them?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I have kids. I love my kids, and being a parent is the best decision I ever made for myself.

I can't say I would recommend it, though.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

I am also a parent who dearly loves my daughter (it's her 14th birthday tomorrow!) but I don't want anyone to have kids who isn't willing to take the time and the effort and spend the money.

No child should be unloved or neglected.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm very happy that I don't have kids. I still have no idea what compels people to have kids these days. They must not know the things I know.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Completely agree.

Look at an ocean temperature graph if you are even entertaining the idea of bringing new life into the world.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Every now and then I see a parent having a tender moment with their child and I smile. I then reflect on whether my vasectomy/shirk of parenthood was the right choice.

I always come to the conclusion that it was. Perhaps when I'm older I will feel differently but I just can't imagine that in my life for a long time.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

having a tender moment with their child and I smile

Worst case scenario for me is I go "kidnap" my niece and nephew for a weekend and get it out of my system.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Now let's see 2022 and 2023.

Edit. Oh wait! It's back down.

https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/

The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) stood at 119.1 points in April 2024, up 0.3 points (0.3 percent) from its revised March level, as an increase in the price index for meat and smaller upturns of vegetable oil and cereal indices slightly more than offset decreases in those for sugar and dairy products. Although it registered a second monthly uptick in April following a seven-month long declining trend, the FFPI was down 9.6 points (7.4 percent) from its corresponding value one year ago.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Never said that but you're right.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Just providing even more context than you did

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago

Fewer people means increased wages. Fuck em.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago

Even if I could afford to have kids (which I can't) or believed in forcing anyone to have to be alive without consent (which is impossible), there's no way I could ethically justify making somebody have to live in what is probably The last century ever of human civilization.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago

Wealthy employers shrug over falling standard of living and lack of affordable housing and food

[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The capitalist class only cares about birthrate for productivity. Don't blame us for not caring about reduced productivity when most of us get a tiny fraction of the benefits of productivity. Also, what happened to all the shrieking about overpopulation? It's all just fearmongering to drive people to act in ways to benefit the capitalist class. I'm tired, leave me alone.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

It's also dumb legacy thinking.

We're in the process of creating a labor force that threatens to put the majority of people already existing out of work such that we need to figure out how to restructure society in a post-labor era.

What the fuck do we need a high birthrate for?

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (1 children)

My kids don't want kids. I'm cool with that. It's not my decision and I'm definitely not interested in playing grandma daycare.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Neither me nor my sister really want kids, but my parents want to be grandparents. Makes for some awkward family dinners

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Same, but they only want grandchildren as facebook sex trophies. No interest in babysitting or being supportive in any other meaningful way.

They were able to raise children on a single salary without leaning on family for childcare, so why can't we? Surely nothing has changed over the last 30-40 years.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

The decision is much too big to let anyone pressure you one way or another. It's totally okay for you to want what you want, and it's okay for that to change throughout your life.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Lots of single parents out there with no support.

Maybe we need a big brother/sister program, but for grandparents.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Honestly I bet that'd blow up.

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