• Dorkyd68@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    I would kill for a family. I’ll die alone, I’ve accepted that. I understand that im unconventional and weird, I just wish I could meet someone that reflected that. But it’s just not in the cards for a man like myself. So ill die surrounded by my animals and hopefully they’ll consume my flesh so I can become Jesus 2.0 but with animals

    • trolololol@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      I’m sure your half orange (or was it apple) is out there somewhere, and hope eventually you’ll find them.

      Except if you’re follower of one of those toxic masculinity thing. In that case you’re likely looking in the wrong place, because if you hate women your soul mate is someone else from your cult - you love guys like you but didn’t realise it yet. Also go f yourself.

  • oppy1984@lemdro.id
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    4 hours ago

    Born in 84, I’ve noticed something of a trend in my area. Late gen X and late millennials are having children, most are having two or three, but a lot of people like me born in the mid 80’s aren’t. While this is by no means universal, there does seem to be more people within five years of my age going without kids.

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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    6 hours ago

    I want biological kids, and I’m right about the point in my life where it would make the most sense to have them. But whenever family asks about it, I tell them I’m not raising children in this kind of administration. They try to suggest that it’s not that bad and I stand firm that they’re not seeing grandbabies until the government stops being so fashy.

    Actually, millennials could probably hold our hypothetical babies hostage, see what’s more important to them.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      Actually, millennials could probably hold our hypothetical babies hostage

      Given how many kids are in some combination of foster systems, detention centers, corrections programs, or concentration camps, maybe millennials need to start finding the actual babies and liberating them.

      • AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net
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        4 hours ago

        I directly know multiple people who had to get what were effectively late term abortions due to pregnancy complications that would’ve put their lives at risk otherwise. We don’t live in the US, so they were fortunate to be able to get the medical care they needed, but it underscores the scariness of the situation in the US; these risks mean that becoming pregnant in the wrong place could literally be a life or death matter. If treatment is received, even people who experience severe complications may be able to have a successful pregnancy in future. Not having access to these things risks breaking the biological clock anyway, so waiting is not unreasonable.

      • PastafARRian@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 hours ago

        Not disagreeing with your point, but women can have children until menopause. It gets riskier and harder but not as much as most people commonly believe. “Biological clock” is a largely made up concept.

  • WalnutLum@lemmy.ml
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    8 hours ago

    On a more positive note the newest IPCC report on climate has population decline being the biggest positive impact on climate change, so keep at it!

  • Newsteinleo@midwest.social
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    11 hours ago

    A friend of mine has three kids and works 70 hours a week. He is not able to make enough to support his family, and social services have been cut so much that his only option is to take out a personal loan, which will only make his problem worse.

    • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      14 hours leaves you barely 2 hours of personal time in a day. That’s barely enough to just eat and maybe relax but then if you have 3 kids even that time is gone taking care of them. How and why would anyone put themselves through this, like after the first or second kid wouldn’t your own limits become apparent

        • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          Yeah didn’t think about that but that’s probably another 2 hours of energy spent on driving, because everything is spread out and there’s no good public transportation options outside of specific areas

      • Newsteinleo@midwest.social
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        4 hours ago

        Some people find themselves in places where they lack the choice to limit themselves to two children when an accident happens. Not everyone has the resources to travel to a place where they would be able to make a choice.

        • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world
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          3 hours ago

          What, are you using the word places as a metaphor or literally, cause I’ve never heard of a location where you have to have more kids than you can afford, other than maybe villages where kids are seen as free labor

          • Newsteinleo@midwest.social
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            3 hours ago

            Currently, in the US there are States were you can get an abortion and States were you cant. So, if you have an unplanned pregnancy you are kind of fucked.

            • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world
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              2 hours ago

              Oh yeah I forgot about that, that is messed up, I hope this period of madness ends soon and we can get some normalcy back

    • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      In the USA? If yes, the US is a sick country in regard to income distribution, labor laws, healthcare and public services. However, if your friend voted MAGA, zero sympathy and he/she can carry on.

      • Newsteinleo@midwest.social
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        4 hours ago

        I don’t think children should suffer regardless of who their parents voted for, I find your callousness as bad as bad as those that voted for Trump.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        However, if your friend voted MAGA, zero sympathy

        It’s so bizarre to see liberal politician after liberal politician promise economic reforms common to the rest of the industrial world, then fail to deliver over and over again.

        And then someone sees a ghoul like Hilary Clinton or Joe Biden running at the top of the ticket, or an American Psycho like Newsom or Adams or Cuomo trying to hijack any semblance of progressive politics for their own vainglory. And they say “Nope, not supporting that garbage”.

        Then everything that comes after is on their heads, somehow.

        Not on the heads of the trillionaire plutocrats setting economic policy. Or military leadership goading us into the next war. Or evangelical hucksters selling snake oil to desperate people.

        Nope. Always the fault of Joe Dirt when Obama can’t win his third term.

  • chaogomu@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Want higher birthrates? Just convince people that tomorrow will be better than today.

    That’s how you see a spike in birth rates.

    To maintain a steady birthrate, just convince potential parents that the world will not be any worse for their children than it is today.

    See, easy.

    • Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      They’re taking the opposite approach.

      In the past families had a bunch of kids because they needed extra laborers to stay afloat, plus childhood mortality rates were so dire they needed spares to cover for the ones who wouldn’t make it.

      We’re already seeing pushes towards removing child labor laws, and RFK Jr is well on his way to ensuring death from easily preventable diseases makes a comeback.

    • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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      14 hours ago

      Capitalist Corporations: … hmmmm … I guess there’s no choice … artificial human breeding it is!

      • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Capitalism would also charge for every part of the process, raising the price as some techno feudal lord thinks they can find the right balance between extinction pricing and maximum shareholder value.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          It’s always economically viable, just a matter of tracking all the expenses and adding it to the child’s debt. As soon as it’s old enough to work you can garnish it’s wages for all that unpaid debt

        • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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          11 hours ago

          It would be economically viable up to a certain age. And if you maintained a certain age average, costs could be easily maintained to sustainable levels.

          When you start analyzing the world and people as a series of costs and expenses, it’s very easy to find solutions.

          As humans, we’ve already done that many times before … most recently in the 1940s on an industrial scale … we are capable of doing it again.

    • borth@sh.itjust.works
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      14 hours ago

      I mean… Shiiii. That sounds easy as hell! Jerry! Why didn’t you tell us about this idea before??? You have??? We’d have to give them HOW much to do that?? Nevermind then.

  • jimjam5@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    Growing up, I was of the mindset that I would have got married and started a family by this point in my life. But as of the last few years, my thoughts have done just about a 180.

    Even if I was currently with someone/married, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to raise kids in this day and age in the US (the bullet dodged me when my ex-girlfriend used plan b after we got intimate without protection). I think best case scenario for me now would be DINK, but gotta find someone that can put up with my dumpster fires first.

    • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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      14 hours ago

      Just find someone with similar dumpster fires, then you’ll both burn in the passions of what you love

      Also, thanks for mentioning DINK - Double Income No Kids … never heard of that before and now I learned something new.

      • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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        12 hours ago

        Currently living that live and fuck me is life easy right now. Cats instead of kids is a very tempting option.

        • Troy@lemmy.ca
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          10 hours ago

          Me too! Our cat is the perfect child, most of the time. Except when she pukes on the bed.

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            8 hours ago

            Children also do disgusting things but they usually grow out of it, whereas a cat can be joking up hairballs its entire life

  • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca
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    15 hours ago

    why would I want to bring somebody into this world. they’d only have to fight for basic things like “let’s be nice to each other” and “maybe we should pool our money to spend it on big things that benefit us all”

    fuck that. I’ll live my little servile life as a cog in the machine as best I can, and then I’ll die. and the dumb fucks who won’t stop breeding while they try to make things worse for their children will repopulate the earth

    • promitheas@programming.dev
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      3 hours ago

      This is how i feel as well. I understand im a cog in the machine, but i just want a relatively comfortable life until the sweet embrace of nothingness takes me in

    • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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      12 hours ago

      No you don’t understand. We’re the most prosperous we’ve ever been at any point in time. There was literally no other time better than this. Life is wonderful in every way

      /s

      I’m generally a happy person but I hate people who say this.

      • Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        I’m right there with you. They’re basically saying “things could be worse, so there’s no point in wanting them better.” It’s a nonsensical thought-terminating cliché.

  • sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Dumb question: do we really need more people? It feels very much like technology/productivity will allow us to support a good lifestyle with fewer people.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      It’s only a dumb question if you’re looking at all the people now. Birth rates across the board are declining and most developed countries are well below replacement. We’re just not noticing yet because people live like 80 years.

      Most population projections have us peaking in 25-50 years, then population declines. That’s not all bad but how steeply does population decline and when does it stop? How does it impact economies, politics, who had influence and power. It looks like it could be steep and disruptive, with no prediction on when it will level off.

      However if we start mitigating that, start encouraging people to have children, provide more support for raising children, give more hope to potential parents, working together for a brighter future consistently for the next 50 years perhaps we can manage the decline for least disruption. Perhaps we can find a sustainable population to level off at which is still big enough for today’s rapid advancements

    • gnutrino@programming.dev
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      14 hours ago

      The problem developed nations are currently facing is that we need enough young people working to continue to support the current population as it ages and retires. The absolute population probably doesn’t need to be as big as it is (unless you plan on starting a war like Russia for example) but it’s not clear how to manage a reducing population gracefully.

        • Oxysis/Oxy@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          13 hours ago

          Mhmm the uber wealthy have all the toys that the rest of the population could ever dream of. Taking away their extra ones allows you to pay for everyone else to get the level of care they deserve. Even then you will have an absurd amount of surplus that can be used to pay for decades of services that the general population needs while still letting the rich have some of their toys.

          • frunch@lemmy.world
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            12 hours ago

            To me, that’s the most disgusting part: they could live the most lavish lifestyle possible and not put a dent in their savings.

            Nobody deserves that kind of wealth, nor should any one person control that much wealth. All those billions they’re sitting on are funds that should have been allocated for better education, healthcare, transportation improvements and upgrades, affordable housing, etc.

          • outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            11 hours ago

            What if we, instead if taking their toys, just voted for them?

            They are a menace. They have ruined our earth and stolen our futures. They should lose everything. Fuck compromise; you’d have to fight just as hard for it; just take all of it. Vote for them all. Vote for their vile spawn too. Put them all in elected office.

      • LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works
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        13 hours ago

        Certainly not by letting these dirty foreigners in the country. Those wild people with their 50 kids… wait.

      • sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        I think it is worth figuring out how to manage it - the alternative isn’t super sustainable. The other thing is that it is like a 50 year challenge, which isn’t insurmountable.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          But that’s the thing - it will take 50 years …. After we start.

          Continuing to make it more of a challenge to raise kids is not an auspicious start

    • cattywampas@midwest.social
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      14 hours ago

      We need some more people. Much as I agree as the future is bleak, if we all simply stopped procreating then there wouldn’t really be any point to anything and truly no reason to want to make the world better. Can’t get to Star Trek future without a future.

      • sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        I don’t think I mean a complete stop. I mean like a managed approach of tax incentives that over time encourage smaller families. Predicting and paying for degrees or training so we have a workforce that can fit into the economy easily. And a targeted immigration policy scaled to supplement gaps in the workforce or population.

        • unconsequential@slrpnk.net
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          11 hours ago

          Most places are actually experiencing a birth rate decline. South Korea is having statistically less than one child per woman. Other places like Europe are also projected to shrink.

          So, it’s already happening, that’s why countries are freaking out and trying to force births now. The policy shift in the US on abortion isn’t based on religion, it’s economics.

          US birth rate hit 1.6, a “stable” birth rate is just over 2.1… mind you that’s the estimate for a population not growing or declining.

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            8 hours ago

            But we’ve usually made up for it with relatively high immigration, so we’re ok for now as long as we don’t screw with that ……