3 ms·

Many, many places have tried giving money to have kids. Many. Thst never works. It's not about money. It's about biology, likely microplastics acting as hor

by b112 1mo ago

Many, many places have tried giving money to have kids. Many. Thst never works. It's not about money. It's about biology, likely microplastics acting as hormone inhibitors. Sex drive and reproductive drive are not the same.

kulahan 1mo ago
It's almost always about the money. Some studies have shown something as simple as free car seats can influence fertility rates. We know next to nothing about microplastics - pseudoscience can wait at the door.
- b112 1mo ago
  No credible studies have shown anything of the sort. A sensible look at things, is that every single country on the planet, has a fertility problem. Almost every single country has a below-replacement birth rate now. It doesn't matter whether it's a highly populated nation or not, an aged population or not. What the culture is, the religion, access to birth control, health care, income. For example, some places don't really use cars, think The Netherlands as a Western example, or poor agrarian nations. The culture of Japan is very Western centric, yet also as far from any Western culture you can get. EG, high-tech, cities, cars, the trappings of "modern life", yet a culture entirely unique, wrapped in strong levels of duty, and with a different culture for woman. Iran has a birth rate problem. A very rigidly controlled, religious nation, where women really have no say. Where people are paid to have kids, like many Western and other nations. If you think "car seats" have anything to do with child rearing in much of the world, you're completely, US-culture out of touch. And further to that, my point is that every single culture, and whether rural farmers or people living it cities, it does not matter. So whatever reason you want to give? Cost? Car seats? Contraceptive? Women's rights? Woke or not woke? Religion? Culture? Finances? None of it makes one iota of difference. None of it. Whether a poor or rich country? Nope, doesn't matter. It's none of those things. Not a one. If it was, then it wouldn't be all nations with a collapsing birth rate. So to everyone reading this, know this truth. It's not economics, culture, the place you live, wealth, it's something else. Something affecting us all. It may not be microplastics. I could be something else. But it's something which no amount of money will help.
- estearum 1mo ago
  The car seat thing is about how people don't have kids because they'd need to have a car that can fit 2-3-4 car seats, which is a gigantic, very expensive car. Car seat requirements prevent childbearing != giving people car seats induces childbearing
  - kulahan 1mo ago
    Family vans are super cheap. You can get a 2024 Pacifica for like $25k. Anyways, that makes sense. I can see how I got two studies mixed up if that's what I'm actually remembering!
cwmoore 1mo ago
s/“That never works.”/“mine,mine,mine,mine,mine”/g
- b112 1mo ago
  Your response doesn't make a lot of sense, are you able to actually state your point? Doing a search and replace as you suggest, doesn't actually create anything that makes sense.
  - vinceguidry 1mo ago
    I first read your comment as "giving money to kids." That's probably how commenter interpreted it and it makes sense in that context.
  - cwmoore 1mo ago
    Try this then: > that never works Citation needed.
    - b112 1mo ago
      Ah. An entirely different response, having nothing to do with whatever that 'mine,' business was. It's exceptionally simple. Endless countries around the world have given 'baby bonuses' and 'child dividends' to parents. Money has been thrown at the problem. In many cases, when such programs run, it's profitable to have children. And there's no study needed, as it is a simple fact. And yet? The birth rate keeps dropping across the entire world. As in, every single country across the entire world. You already started with a weird, what seems like perhaps snide response, where you (I guess?) read my comment and misunderstand it. Now, you're just throwing something else. How about, you engage in thoughtful consideration of what I'm saying. It's a very serious problem. We're talking about the extinction of the entire human race. And it's not a result of money. It's not. And it's very, very important to not just say "Well it seems like it's money for me, so who cares, it's money". Because this is a bigger threat than global warming, than nuclear war, then a meteor impact. In such cases, humans would survive. But if we just end up unable to have offspring? Well. Game over. We cannot risk just presuming. See here, in this very same thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49479324 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49479324

by b112 1mo ago

kulahan 1mo ago

It's almost always about the money. Some studies have shown something as simple as free car seats can influence fertility rates. We know next to nothing about microplastics - pseudoscience can wait at the door.

b112 1mo ago
No credible studies have shown anything of the sort. A sensible look at things, is that every single country on the planet, has a fertility problem. Almost every single country has a below-replacement birth rate now. It doesn't matter whether it's a highly populated nation or not, an aged population or not. What the culture is, the religion, access to birth control, health care, income. For example, some places don't really use cars, think The Netherlands as a Western example, or poor agrarian nations. The culture of Japan is very Western centric, yet also as far from any Western culture you can get. EG, high-tech, cities, cars, the trappings of "modern life", yet a culture entirely unique, wrapped in strong levels of duty, and with a different culture for woman. Iran has a birth rate problem. A very rigidly controlled, religious nation, where women really have no say. Where people are paid to have kids, like many Western and other nations. If you think "car seats" have anything to do with child rearing in much of the world, you're completely, US-culture out of touch. And further to that, my point is that every single culture, and whether rural farmers or people living it cities, it does not matter. So whatever reason you want to give? Cost? Car seats? Contraceptive? Women's rights? Woke or not woke? Religion? Culture? Finances? None of it makes one iota of difference. None of it. Whether a poor or rich country? Nope, doesn't matter. It's none of those things. Not a one. If it was, then it wouldn't be all nations with a collapsing birth rate. So to everyone reading this, know this truth. It's not economics, culture, the place you live, wealth, it's something else. Something affecting us all. It may not be microplastics. I could be something else. But it's something which no amount of money will help.
estearum 1mo ago
The car seat thing is about how people don't have kids because they'd need to have a car that can fit 2-3-4 car seats, which is a gigantic, very expensive car. Car seat requirements prevent childbearing != giving people car seats induces childbearing
- kulahan 1mo ago
  Family vans are super cheap. You can get a 2024 Pacifica for like $25k. Anyways, that makes sense. I can see how I got two studies mixed up if that's what I'm actually remembering!

cwmoore 1mo ago

s/“That never works.”/“mine,mine,mine,mine,mine”/g

b112 1mo ago
Your response doesn't make a lot of sense, are you able to actually state your point? Doing a search and replace as you suggest, doesn't actually create anything that makes sense.
- vinceguidry 1mo ago
  I first read your comment as "giving money to kids." That's probably how commenter interpreted it and it makes sense in that context.
- cwmoore 1mo ago
  Try this then: > that never works Citation needed.
  - b112 1mo ago
    Ah. An entirely different response, having nothing to do with whatever that 'mine,' business was. It's exceptionally simple. Endless countries around the world have given 'baby bonuses' and 'child dividends' to parents. Money has been thrown at the problem. In many cases, when such programs run, it's profitable to have children. And there's no study needed, as it is a simple fact. And yet? The birth rate keeps dropping across the entire world. As in, every single country across the entire world. You already started with a weird, what seems like perhaps snide response, where you (I guess?) read my comment and misunderstand it. Now, you're just throwing something else. How about, you engage in thoughtful consideration of what I'm saying. It's a very serious problem. We're talking about the extinction of the entire human race. And it's not a result of money. It's not. And it's very, very important to not just say "Well it seems like it's money for me, so who cares, it's money". Because this is a bigger threat than global warming, than nuclear war, then a meteor impact. In such cases, humans would survive. But if we just end up unable to have offspring? Well. Game over. We cannot risk just presuming. See here, in this very same thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49479324 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49479324