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If your marginal, insignificant impact on the climate is enough to prevent you from having kids, then you probably never really wanted them anyways. It scares m

by rank0 5y ago

If your marginal, insignificant impact on the climate is enough to prevent you from having kids, then you probably never really wanted them anyways. It scares me that people seriously suggest giving up children “for the greater good.” Raising a child is the most meaningful experience in most people’s lives. Why should anybody give up kids but keep their iPhones, AC, avocados, and software engineering jobs? You might feel differently when you’re older.

throwacherry 5y ago
A drop of rain is small indeed, but many drops can fill oceans. It is scary indeed, to think we can't help raise children unless we give birth to them ourselves, while ignoring millions of struggling kids today. Why can't we love them as our own? Ultimately, we all come from the same source [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve
- rank0 5y ago
  Thanks for the flowery language master Yoda. I am in no way advocating against adopting children. That is a wonderful thing to do for another human being. It has very little to do with climate change and surely you understood that the original comment was discussing having no kids at all. The carbon footprint of your child is there whether or not you adopt it.
  - throwacherry 5y ago
    Welcome, you are.
CarelessExpert 5y ago
> If your marginal, insignificant impact on the climate is enough to prevent you from having kids, then you probably never really wanted them anyways. Or they have different values than you. Shocking, right? > Why should anybody give up kids but keep their iPhones, AC, avocados, and software engineering jobs? > You might feel differently when you’re older. Ahh, there it is. That moral superiority that oh-so-often exudes from folks with kids criticizing folks who don't want them. I'm 42. Married almost 20 years. No kids. Still no desire to have them. Amazing, right? Suggestion: Don't talk down to people about their reproductive choices. You might not agree with folks but you're no one's moral superior.
- rank0 5y ago
  Maybe I've come off the wrong way here. I do not believe that either party can claim the moral high ground for their decision on raising children. I DO however, get annoyed when I see people present themselves as some kind of martyr simply for being child free. Those same folks on this forum gladly spew out carbon in pursuit of building a new ML model, cryptocurrency, or unnecessary startup cash-grab. > I'm 42. Married almost 20 years. No kids. Still no desire to have them. Amazing, right? > Suggestion: Don't talk down to people about their reproductive choices. You might not agree with folks but you're no one's moral superior. For the record, I am 26 and have also have no children. Your suggestion is exactly my point. Seems like we have some common ground!
  - foundron 5y ago
    Choosing not to have kids is still an uncommon stance. Are they really presenting themselves as martyrs, or just trying to normalise an unpopular idea that has merits? Is it helpful to dismiss them like that? Maybe they're not the same ones doing high carbon pursuits? If it's really not a big deal, then we can just accept others' differences without getting annoyed.
    - rank0 5y ago
      > Maybe they're not the same ones doing high carbon pursuits? It's possible but I seriously doubt it. Just being on this forum tells me that OP has likely emitted more carbon than almost every other human in the history of our species. The startup space openly celebrates carbon intensive profit chasing behavior. How can we have it both ways? We've gotta reduce our personal carbon footprint but also let's create tech startups to get rich. It's just a bit silly imo.
      - foundron 5y ago
        Yes you are right. But so have the majority of people alive today with phones connected to the Internet. It's hard to be perfect in today's world. Unnecessary startup cash-grabs are no good indeed. Maybe one day they'll see it your way and abandon high-carbon pursuits. But for now if they're taking steps towards being sustainable, then let's encourage them.

by rank0 5y ago

throwacherry 5y ago

A drop of rain is small indeed, but many drops can fill oceans. It is scary indeed, to think we can't help raise children unless we give birth to them ourselves, while ignoring millions of struggling kids today. Why can't we love them as our own? Ultimately, we all come from the same source [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve

rank0 5y ago
Thanks for the flowery language master Yoda. I am in no way advocating against adopting children. That is a wonderful thing to do for another human being. It has very little to do with climate change and surely you understood that the original comment was discussing having no kids at all. The carbon footprint of your child is there whether or not you adopt it.
- throwacherry 5y ago
  Welcome, you are.

CarelessExpert 5y ago

> If your marginal, insignificant impact on the climate is enough to prevent you from having kids, then you probably never really wanted them anyways. Or they have different values than you. Shocking, right? > Why should anybody give up kids but keep their iPhones, AC, avocados, and software engineering jobs? > You might feel differently when you’re older. Ahh, there it is. That moral superiority that oh-so-often exudes from folks with kids criticizing folks who don't want them. I'm 42. Married almost 20 years. No kids. Still no desire to have them. Amazing, right? Suggestion: Don't talk down to people about their reproductive choices. You might not agree with folks but you're no one's moral superior.

rank0 5y ago
Maybe I've come off the wrong way here. I do not believe that either party can claim the moral high ground for their decision on raising children. I DO however, get annoyed when I see people present themselves as some kind of martyr simply for being child free. Those same folks on this forum gladly spew out carbon in pursuit of building a new ML model, cryptocurrency, or unnecessary startup cash-grab. > I'm 42. Married almost 20 years. No kids. Still no desire to have them. Amazing, right? > Suggestion: Don't talk down to people about their reproductive choices. You might not agree with folks but you're no one's moral superior. For the record, I am 26 and have also have no children. Your suggestion is exactly my point. Seems like we have some common ground!
- foundron 5y ago
  Choosing not to have kids is still an uncommon stance. Are they really presenting themselves as martyrs, or just trying to normalise an unpopular idea that has merits? Is it helpful to dismiss them like that? Maybe they're not the same ones doing high carbon pursuits? If it's really not a big deal, then we can just accept others' differences without getting annoyed.
  - rank0 5y ago
    > Maybe they're not the same ones doing high carbon pursuits? It's possible but I seriously doubt it. Just being on this forum tells me that OP has likely emitted more carbon than almost every other human in the history of our species. The startup space openly celebrates carbon intensive profit chasing behavior. How can we have it both ways? We've gotta reduce our personal carbon footprint but also let's create tech startups to get rich. It's just a bit silly imo.
    - foundron 5y ago
      Yes you are right. But so have the majority of people alive today with phones connected to the Internet. It's hard to be perfect in today's world. Unnecessary startup cash-grabs are no good indeed. Maybe one day they'll see it your way and abandon high-carbon pursuits. But for now if they're taking steps towards being sustainable, then let's encourage them.