People who have babies are the scurge of the earth
Everyday, while coming home, I always get into an elevator with a person pushing a stroller.
The mere idea that people are thoughtlessly reproducing bothers the hell out of me. And I'm sure I'm going to inadvertently offend some of you with my anti-human outlook.
It seems that people don't have children for the "right" reasons, actually, I don't think there are any "right" reasons.
Let me explore a few reasons...
First off, most (if not all) people are afraid of dying. Its a scary thought to know that one day your life will shrivel up, and what is scarier is that if you don't have kids your DNA has reached the end of the line. Many people have kids to have the piece of mind that they will live on, well at least their genes will. Its also comforting to know that somebody you love will live on after you leave, that, in a way, dying isn't so scary anymore. The problem with this is that many people don't understand that this is a horrible reason to have children. Would you want to be created just as a comfort to someone's irrational fears? Love is an incredible force which is a reason to continue to connect to others, but theres a difference from selfishness and love. If somebody wants to have a kid so they have a loved one near by when they die, well the child's purpose of being is to fulfill the parent's needs. Pretty crappy reason to be created. We can just as easily love other people's children, through adoption, association or whatever as much as we could love our own. Seeing as the world is already over-capacity its time we started to understand why we WANT to have children.
To continue on one's bloodline is also a stupid reason to have kids. We are all a drop in the pan. Thats life, we are meaningless animals pretending to be special. It could be even more beneficial for one to focus their life on their passion, to change the world - you know all those noble causes. We would probably be remembered moreso if we actually did something important enough to be known by many other humans than we would for our bloodline. Do you remember your great-grandmother? I sure don't. Sad, isn't it.
Secondly, people for some stupid reason think that when they're married or in a long-term committed relationship, the next step is to reproduce. Theres been this skewed version of romance, where people who are "truly" in love have babies. YUCK. There is so much wrong with the way people view love-relationships, I don't even know where to begin. Well, a "truly" loving relationship involves respect and communication. This means if all of a sudden my vegetarian boyfriend decided to be an omnivore again, I would respect him because I love him.... but then that doesn't mean I have to respect his CHOICE. Most relationships are unstable this way, there is a (co-)dependence that often makes it "easy" to date someone even if the person doesn't feel fulfilled. Its like driving a car to work everyday for a few years, after a while you get so used to it and taking the bus or walking seems just so time consuming and a huge hassle to endure. You may love your car. You may hate trying new things (cycling). And this can deter a person from either A) moving on or B)making serious changes. The best relationships are built on friendship. They last longer with better results. Anyhow, back to the baby stuff. When people feel that there should be something "more" to their relationship, to fulfill their gender-roles, they often have children. The funny thing with this, is that the new image of masculinity is of the man-boy. The Man-boy is a grown man who partakes in boyish behavior - ie plays video games, doesn't take responsibility, has a general apathetic outlook ("yeah sure babe, whatever you want"). The man-boy often results in DEADBEAT DADS! That means, hey theres a baby now... Gotta split! No responsibility for me ma'am. This is how I came to exist - my father (the man-boy) married my mom, had me then my sister then left for 20-odd years. This is generally an acceptable act nowadays - ie I don't care that he wasn't there, you can't miss what you never had. But to have children to just fulfill what society expects of you - your gender - is really missing some integral pieces. We shouldn't do ANYTHING to be a model of our gender (ie a woman is credited if she is a good mother, a woman is discredited AS A WOMAN if shes a bad mother). If we're only seeking to be accepted by society's standards, then we have some serious problems.
I read on an electronic billboard thing in the Tate modern "you will be happier if you pretend you're sexless".
My third reason why people want to have kids is that they want somebody to love and accept - somebody to teach and embrace. A person who can be their legacy. Whats wrong with this ideal? Absolutely nothing. But you definitely don't need to have kids to do this. Adoption is a great alternative. I mean, whats awesomer than loving somebody for their differences? For the fact that they truly aren't you, or a piece of you (if I ever went insane and wanted to endure raising children [if hell froze over] I would adopt). There is a general assumption that people who have kids and teach them under their wing are pushing their own goals onto their child. I must refute this as it is misconceived. Many parents do teach their kids very similar ideals and morals not because they want to live through their children, but because they honestly think it is whats best. This may limit the child's experiences or turn them into an unknowingly racist individual - but what we conceive to be "right" relies upon the conceiver.
Now, the REAL problem with having children isn't with the morals behind it. Sometimes it just happens... or should I say all the time it happens. But its the fact that we can't support ourselves (humans) for much longer. That having children actually increases the death rate FOR THE CHILDREN. We have a bleak future indeed, especially if humans are breeding themselves extinct. Its stupid to have children when we can better ourselves, the planet, and the quality of life (without compromising the environment). People need to realize that happiness comes from within, not from making more humans.
Another thing. I fucking hate those SUV strollers. Especially when I'm on a bus. What the fuck is wrong with a folding stroller? Whats wrong with carrying a tote with diapers? What is wrong with saving space? People who have babies are selfish. They think that their 1/4 sized human should take up 3 seats with their stupid stroller. They might as well make tool-cabinets with a crib inside - I bet it would even save more space!
The mere idea that people are thoughtlessly reproducing bothers the hell out of me. And I'm sure I'm going to inadvertently offend some of you with my anti-human outlook.
It seems that people don't have children for the "right" reasons, actually, I don't think there are any "right" reasons.
Let me explore a few reasons...
First off, most (if not all) people are afraid of dying. Its a scary thought to know that one day your life will shrivel up, and what is scarier is that if you don't have kids your DNA has reached the end of the line. Many people have kids to have the piece of mind that they will live on, well at least their genes will. Its also comforting to know that somebody you love will live on after you leave, that, in a way, dying isn't so scary anymore. The problem with this is that many people don't understand that this is a horrible reason to have children. Would you want to be created just as a comfort to someone's irrational fears? Love is an incredible force which is a reason to continue to connect to others, but theres a difference from selfishness and love. If somebody wants to have a kid so they have a loved one near by when they die, well the child's purpose of being is to fulfill the parent's needs. Pretty crappy reason to be created. We can just as easily love other people's children, through adoption, association or whatever as much as we could love our own. Seeing as the world is already over-capacity its time we started to understand why we WANT to have children.
To continue on one's bloodline is also a stupid reason to have kids. We are all a drop in the pan. Thats life, we are meaningless animals pretending to be special. It could be even more beneficial for one to focus their life on their passion, to change the world - you know all those noble causes. We would probably be remembered moreso if we actually did something important enough to be known by many other humans than we would for our bloodline. Do you remember your great-grandmother? I sure don't. Sad, isn't it.
Secondly, people for some stupid reason think that when they're married or in a long-term committed relationship, the next step is to reproduce. Theres been this skewed version of romance, where people who are "truly" in love have babies. YUCK. There is so much wrong with the way people view love-relationships, I don't even know where to begin. Well, a "truly" loving relationship involves respect and communication. This means if all of a sudden my vegetarian boyfriend decided to be an omnivore again, I would respect him because I love him.... but then that doesn't mean I have to respect his CHOICE. Most relationships are unstable this way, there is a (co-)dependence that often makes it "easy" to date someone even if the person doesn't feel fulfilled. Its like driving a car to work everyday for a few years, after a while you get so used to it and taking the bus or walking seems just so time consuming and a huge hassle to endure. You may love your car. You may hate trying new things (cycling). And this can deter a person from either A) moving on or B)making serious changes. The best relationships are built on friendship. They last longer with better results. Anyhow, back to the baby stuff. When people feel that there should be something "more" to their relationship, to fulfill their gender-roles, they often have children. The funny thing with this, is that the new image of masculinity is of the man-boy. The Man-boy is a grown man who partakes in boyish behavior - ie plays video games, doesn't take responsibility, has a general apathetic outlook ("yeah sure babe, whatever you want"). The man-boy often results in DEADBEAT DADS! That means, hey theres a baby now... Gotta split! No responsibility for me ma'am. This is how I came to exist - my father (the man-boy) married my mom, had me then my sister then left for 20-odd years. This is generally an acceptable act nowadays - ie I don't care that he wasn't there, you can't miss what you never had. But to have children to just fulfill what society expects of you - your gender - is really missing some integral pieces. We shouldn't do ANYTHING to be a model of our gender (ie a woman is credited if she is a good mother, a woman is discredited AS A WOMAN if shes a bad mother). If we're only seeking to be accepted by society's standards, then we have some serious problems.
I read on an electronic billboard thing in the Tate modern "you will be happier if you pretend you're sexless".
My third reason why people want to have kids is that they want somebody to love and accept - somebody to teach and embrace. A person who can be their legacy. Whats wrong with this ideal? Absolutely nothing. But you definitely don't need to have kids to do this. Adoption is a great alternative. I mean, whats awesomer than loving somebody for their differences? For the fact that they truly aren't you, or a piece of you (if I ever went insane and wanted to endure raising children [if hell froze over] I would adopt). There is a general assumption that people who have kids and teach them under their wing are pushing their own goals onto their child. I must refute this as it is misconceived. Many parents do teach their kids very similar ideals and morals not because they want to live through their children, but because they honestly think it is whats best. This may limit the child's experiences or turn them into an unknowingly racist individual - but what we conceive to be "right" relies upon the conceiver.
Now, the REAL problem with having children isn't with the morals behind it. Sometimes it just happens... or should I say all the time it happens. But its the fact that we can't support ourselves (humans) for much longer. That having children actually increases the death rate FOR THE CHILDREN. We have a bleak future indeed, especially if humans are breeding themselves extinct. Its stupid to have children when we can better ourselves, the planet, and the quality of life (without compromising the environment). People need to realize that happiness comes from within, not from making more humans.
Another thing. I fucking hate those SUV strollers. Especially when I'm on a bus. What the fuck is wrong with a folding stroller? Whats wrong with carrying a tote with diapers? What is wrong with saving space? People who have babies are selfish. They think that their 1/4 sized human should take up 3 seats with their stupid stroller. They might as well make tool-cabinets with a crib inside - I bet it would even save more space!