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It's very hard to worry about the long-term health outcomes of people like that. As always the rub is what happens to their children, and it's a lot harder to b

It's very hard to worry about the long-term health outcomes of people like that. As always the rub is what happens to their children, and it's a lot harder to be glib about them.

toomuchtodo 1y ago
All you can do is let the adults hang themselves out to dry and have systems to help the kids once they become adults and parents lose their authority over them. Think in systems and cycles.
- cosmicgadget 1y ago
  It's definitely not all you can do and callousness about the suffering of children isn't a good look. I imagine more than a few of these suncreen truthers are the parents that feed their kids bleach. At that point, imho, the child's rights outweigh the parents' right to control their offspring.
  - toomuchtodo 1y ago
    Disclosure: I have volunteered as a guardian ad litem for a brief stint as an independent advocate for children going through the court system, my mental model and opinion comes from this experience. You can only help children up to legal bounds. If their parents aren't making good choices for them, but parents aren't breaking the law, there is nothing else you can do. Some parents are doing their best, some parents are doing the bare minimum, some parents are actively malicious. Again, all you can do is provide the support you're legally able to until kids hit age of maturity and make better choices for themselves. If parents step out of the boundaries of the law and/or are actively hurting/harming their kids, absolutely, intervene with whatever options are available. This is a tricky dance in my experience. You can just as easily have parents come at you civilly, criminally, or with physical violence because you've dared attempt to interfere with what they consider their property. Once a child is emancipated or reaches age of maturity, you can provide any and all resources to assist them without parental interference (housing, workforce, healthcare, etc to reach self sufficiency escape velocity).
    - cosmicgadget 1y ago
      I appreciate what you do and understand now that you were referring to the system as it is now which - to be honest - probably won't change.
      - toomuchtodo 1y ago
        “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” That’s the best we can do, is to be prepared and available when those who are in need are in a position to ask for and accept help. As long as humans keep having kids, there will be a subset cohort who needs help until adulthood (and even beyond) due to gaps in parenting. That is persistent demand. People who are willing to help are the supply. That demand and supply is the system. We should try to ensure supply can, whenever possible, exceed demand in perpetuity. That was what I meant by “Think in systems and cycles.” Appreciate the kind words.

It's very hard to worry about the long-term health outcomes of people like that. As always the rub is what happens to their children, and it's a lot harder to be glib about them.

toomuchtodo 1y ago

All you can do is let the adults hang themselves out to dry and have systems to help the kids once they become adults and parents lose their authority over them. Think in systems and cycles.

cosmicgadget 1y ago
It's definitely not all you can do and callousness about the suffering of children isn't a good look. I imagine more than a few of these suncreen truthers are the parents that feed their kids bleach. At that point, imho, the child's rights outweigh the parents' right to control their offspring.
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  Disclosure: I have volunteered as a guardian ad litem for a brief stint as an independent advocate for children going through the court system, my mental model and opinion comes from this experience. You can only help children up to legal bounds. If their parents aren't making good choices for them, but parents aren't breaking the law, there is nothing else you can do. Some parents are doing their best, some parents are doing the bare minimum, some parents are actively malicious. Again, all you can do is provide the support you're legally able to until kids hit age of maturity and make better choices for themselves. If parents step out of the boundaries of the law and/or are actively hurting/harming their kids, absolutely, intervene with whatever options are available. This is a tricky dance in my experience. You can just as easily have parents come at you civilly, criminally, or with physical violence because you've dared attempt to interfere with what they consider their property. Once a child is emancipated or reaches age of maturity, you can provide any and all resources to assist them without parental interference (housing, workforce, healthcare, etc to reach self sufficiency escape velocity).
  - cosmicgadget 1y ago
    I appreciate what you do and understand now that you were referring to the system as it is now which - to be honest - probably won't change.
    - toomuchtodo 1y ago
      “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” That’s the best we can do, is to be prepared and available when those who are in need are in a position to ask for and accept help. As long as humans keep having kids, there will be a subset cohort who needs help until adulthood (and even beyond) due to gaps in parenting. That is persistent demand. People who are willing to help are the supply. That demand and supply is the system. We should try to ensure supply can, whenever possible, exceed demand in perpetuity. That was what I meant by “Think in systems and cycles.” Appreciate the kind words.