4 ms·

Kids do not choose to be born. We can't expect them to serve us when we get old. They owe us nothing. We forced them into this world.

Zhenya 5y ago
Such a nihilistic viewpoint. Others consider bearing children a gift of life.
- noasaservice 5y ago
  Where was the consent? That's right - it cannot be given.
gazzini 5y ago
I think it’s a pretty great idea for people to “have kids, raise them right.” I’m bullish on that strategy, even if there is no contractual guarantee that those kids will return the favor.
kortilla 5y ago
They generally do though. Have more than one so you have backups. If you’re not abusive children tend to remember the 18 years you gave them fondly and provide assistance for your last few years.
cm2012 5y ago
It's an investment, not guaranteed to pay off. It's kind of funny, my wife's mom abused her horribly and is now upset my wife and I won't take care of her. Treat your investments better lady.
prepend 5y ago
That’s why the “raise them right” part is so critical.
the_rectifier 5y ago
The cynicism in the other answers is appalling. Treating people like investments...
- crunchytartar 5y ago
  Honest question, how old are you?
philwelch 5y ago
This argument bothers me because it seems to devalue human life on a very fundamental level. If your children resent you for “forcing them into this world”—if they would have preferred to have never been born in the first place—that’s not a healthy or normal reaction, but rather, near-suicidal depression. Sure, some people are suicidally depressive, but that’s a very dark attitude to project onto one’s hypothetical children as a default assumption. If your kids aren’t suicidally depressive but also don’t love you enough to take care of you in your old age, there’s probably something else they resent you for other than being born in the first place. Which isn’t necessarily your fault—some people are just irrationally resentful. But that is probably the bigger risk to worry about. It’s just that, compared to trusting nursing homes not to become abusive, it’s still a better bet. It’s also not necessarily about obligation, at least not in the negative sense of the term. I took care of my father during the last year of his life, not out of obligation but out of love. (One might define love as the act of willingly accepting the obligation to care for another, but a willingly accepted obligation is not really the same kind of obligation.) In any case, the goal is to go into old age having people in your life who are capable of taking care of you and who will choose to do so out of love. Having kids and maintaining a strong relationship with them gives you a good chance of reaching that goal. Institutions, on the other hand, will never love you and will instead just fuck you up with psychoactive drugs for their own convenience.
- theonemind 5y ago
  > if they would have preferred to have never been born in the first place—that’s not a healthy or normal reaction, but rather, near-suicidal depression This is a common misconception, and completely incorrect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinatalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinatalism . This is a possible valid philosophical judgment that implies nothing about depression.
  - philwelch 5y ago
    No, it’s a cognitive distortion associated with depression that some people have rationalized into a philosophical judgment, because it’s easier for some people to do that than to actually address the level of depression and misanthropy that they suffer from.
crunchytartar 5y ago
OPs childhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q-6Y-e7HZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q-6Y-e7HZI

Zhenya 5y ago

Such a nihilistic viewpoint. Others consider bearing children a gift of life.

noasaservice 5y ago
Where was the consent? That's right - it cannot be given.

gazzini 5y ago

I think it’s a pretty great idea for people to “have kids, raise them right.” I’m bullish on that strategy, even if there is no contractual guarantee that those kids will return the favor.

kortilla 5y ago

They generally do though. Have more than one so you have backups. If you’re not abusive children tend to remember the 18 years you gave them fondly and provide assistance for your last few years.

cm2012 5y ago

It's an investment, not guaranteed to pay off. It's kind of funny, my wife's mom abused her horribly and is now upset my wife and I won't take care of her. Treat your investments better lady.

prepend 5y ago

That’s why the “raise them right” part is so critical.

the_rectifier 5y ago

The cynicism in the other answers is appalling. Treating people like investments...

crunchytartar 5y ago
Honest question, how old are you?

philwelch 5y ago

This argument bothers me because it seems to devalue human life on a very fundamental level. If your children resent you for “forcing them into this world”—if they would have preferred to have never been born in the first place—that’s not a healthy or normal reaction, but rather, near-suicidal depression. Sure, some people are suicidally depressive, but that’s a very dark attitude to project onto one’s hypothetical children as a default assumption. If your kids aren’t suicidally depressive but also don’t love you enough to take care of you in your old age, there’s probably something else they resent you for other than being born in the first place. Which isn’t necessarily your fault—some people are just irrationally resentful. But that is probably the bigger risk to worry about. It’s just that, compared to trusting nursing homes not to become abusive, it’s still a better bet. It’s also not necessarily about obligation, at least not in the negative sense of the term. I took care of my father during the last year of his life, not out of obligation but out of love. (One might define love as the act of willingly accepting the obligation to care for another, but a willingly accepted obligation is not really the same kind of obligation.) In any case, the goal is to go into old age having people in your life who are capable of taking care of you and who will choose to do so out of love. Having kids and maintaining a strong relationship with them gives you a good chance of reaching that goal. Institutions, on the other hand, will never love you and will instead just fuck you up with psychoactive drugs for their own convenience.

theonemind 5y ago
> if they would have preferred to have never been born in the first place—that’s not a healthy or normal reaction, but rather, near-suicidal depression This is a common misconception, and completely incorrect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinatalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinatalism . This is a possible valid philosophical judgment that implies nothing about depression.
- philwelch 5y ago
  No, it’s a cognitive distortion associated with depression that some people have rationalized into a philosophical judgment, because it’s easier for some people to do that than to actually address the level of depression and misanthropy that they suffer from.

crunchytartar 5y ago

OPs childhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q-6Y-e7HZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q-6Y-e7HZI