Children, again.
That whole childfree thing I posted about a bit back, I've been reading more about it - about this woman Corinne Maier and her book, and mostly all the pieces that the Post has published posted in, I guess, a kind of response to all the hype around it.
Here's a sampling:
Michael Coren says: "In many ways it's a form of self-hatred. Beneath the ostensible love of life is a subconscious desire to not produce someone in any way like oneself. It's also, though, the apotheosis of selfishness, the modernist fulfilment of the cult of banal self-obsession. It's a betrayal of the future, a cowardly refusal to participate in a world that will continue after one's death."
How to respond to this, other than with, "Go fuck yourself, Michael Coren."?
A form of self-hatred, because I don't want to produce someone who could end up like me? If that's the case, how is it not the ultimate in egotism, in self-aggrandizement to want to produce someone who's going to be like yourself? And why the need to judge? Why must it be about selfishness and self-obsession - why can't it just be about choosing a different path than the better one you chose? And how, if what you say is so, is it not a kind of self-obsession to want to produce yourself, in carbon copy form, to live on after you? Everything you say can be thrown right back atcha, bub.
And then he goes on to say that the world isn't overpopulated. How many Planet Earths, I wonder, would it take to sustain 6 billion Michael Corens?
Barbara Kay says: "Why couldn't Loh just divorce and shut up about it? Because she felt lousy. Infidelity (hers) and divorce felt like failure. Her self-esteem took a hit. That didn't compute with a lifetime of assurance that self-esteem is an automatic entitlement, rather than the fruit of earned achievement. Fortunately, as an intellectual with a social podium, she knew just how to get it back: Publicly announce that henceforth marriage failure is actually ... success!"
This I can actually get with, to a point. I really do actually like the bit about self-esteem not being something everyone ought to feel entitled to, and how Sandra Tsing Loh really has nothing to be proud of - at least not on the basis of her (I thought) inane Atlantic piece. But, again with the judgment. I know - I shouldn't expect better from the Post, but it still bothers me.
All this said, there is a real strain of selfishness that runs through much of the childfree/childless/anti-child movement, and it's that many of its members (at least of my age and younger) tend to see it as something that's robbing them of the people they care about, and often they get resentful of those people. Really - choices are an individual thing. How obvious should that be?
I heard so many incredibly offensive things at work today. I don't want to write any of them out, I'll just say that to listen to the people there, us crackers need to start having lots more babies, lest the Arabs take over the country. I tell ya, it's Hérouxville up here, folks.
***
Busy and fun weekend approaches: Tim's going away party/LEGION KARAOKE tomorrow night (Hiedi and I are feeding 15 people tomorrow night, oy), LEGION CARNIVAL and a bocce ball tourney on Saturday afternoon, and then a barbecue with Larry Evans on Sunday. It's gonna be awesome - all of it.
Ok, I'm tired as fuck, but there are two postings with my name on 'em closing tomorrow in Whitehorse.
Here's a sampling:
Michael Coren says: "In many ways it's a form of self-hatred. Beneath the ostensible love of life is a subconscious desire to not produce someone in any way like oneself. It's also, though, the apotheosis of selfishness, the modernist fulfilment of the cult of banal self-obsession. It's a betrayal of the future, a cowardly refusal to participate in a world that will continue after one's death."
How to respond to this, other than with, "Go fuck yourself, Michael Coren."?
A form of self-hatred, because I don't want to produce someone who could end up like me? If that's the case, how is it not the ultimate in egotism, in self-aggrandizement to want to produce someone who's going to be like yourself? And why the need to judge? Why must it be about selfishness and self-obsession - why can't it just be about choosing a different path than the better one you chose? And how, if what you say is so, is it not a kind of self-obsession to want to produce yourself, in carbon copy form, to live on after you? Everything you say can be thrown right back atcha, bub.
And then he goes on to say that the world isn't overpopulated. How many Planet Earths, I wonder, would it take to sustain 6 billion Michael Corens?
Barbara Kay says: "Why couldn't Loh just divorce and shut up about it? Because she felt lousy. Infidelity (hers) and divorce felt like failure. Her self-esteem took a hit. That didn't compute with a lifetime of assurance that self-esteem is an automatic entitlement, rather than the fruit of earned achievement. Fortunately, as an intellectual with a social podium, she knew just how to get it back: Publicly announce that henceforth marriage failure is actually ... success!"
This I can actually get with, to a point. I really do actually like the bit about self-esteem not being something everyone ought to feel entitled to, and how Sandra Tsing Loh really has nothing to be proud of - at least not on the basis of her (I thought) inane Atlantic piece. But, again with the judgment. I know - I shouldn't expect better from the Post, but it still bothers me.
All this said, there is a real strain of selfishness that runs through much of the childfree/childless/anti-child movement, and it's that many of its members (at least of my age and younger) tend to see it as something that's robbing them of the people they care about, and often they get resentful of those people. Really - choices are an individual thing. How obvious should that be?
I heard so many incredibly offensive things at work today. I don't want to write any of them out, I'll just say that to listen to the people there, us crackers need to start having lots more babies, lest the Arabs take over the country. I tell ya, it's Hérouxville up here, folks.
***
Busy and fun weekend approaches: Tim's going away party/LEGION KARAOKE tomorrow night (Hiedi and I are feeding 15 people tomorrow night, oy), LEGION CARNIVAL and a bocce ball tourney on Saturday afternoon, and then a barbecue with Larry Evans on Sunday. It's gonna be awesome - all of it.
Ok, I'm tired as fuck, but there are two postings with my name on 'em closing tomorrow in Whitehorse.