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And this is why Idiocracy will end up being prophesy: when your society makes having kids the dumb thing to do, you end up having lots of dumb people. I have t

And this is why Idiocracy will end up being prophesy: when your society makes having kids the dumb thing to do, you end up having lots of dumb people. I have three kids.

vonnik 12y ago
We're not saying having kids is the dumb thing to do. Kids are great. Kids with smart, caring parents are even greater. What we're saying is there are consequences to being careless with birth control. An unplanned pregnancy can be traumatic both emotionally and financially. People who want kids should think about when they'll have the bandwidth to raise them. If you want to spend your 20s raising kids, then by all means. If you're not thinking about it, and behaving carelessly, then maybe this article will make you wake up.
- carsongross 12y ago
  You are saying it is dumb to do from a financial standpoint. And your analysis is entirely correct. Mr. Money Moustache made effectively the same point in a recent blog post (although he of course had to rationalize having one child since that's what he did): http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/09/10/great-news-youre-allowed-to-have-only-one-kid/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/09/10/great-news-youre-a... What I would note is that this is also the analysis at the start of Idiocracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmRCixQrx8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmRCixQrx8 I believe that the second and third order effects of this analysis, which Idiocracy points to, are negative in the long run. Idiocracy is prophesy. I know this strikes many people as flippant, and I do find it quite funny, but I'm entirely serious.
  - vonnik 12y ago
    Carson - we are saying that it is dumb to do in your 20s if you have income you could otherwise invest. Early investments trump later investments. We're not saying don't have kids. We're saying that 20-somethings could do themselves a favor by thinking long term. If people are going to have kids, then I certainly want the smart, hard-working, forward-looking people to have kids. We're not arguing against that. We're making an argument about a time of life. Personally, I have a daughter whom I love very much. She was not planned. I'm not actually sure that this planet will be a good place for her or for humans in a few decades, at the rate we are changing the environment. Given that we are headed for large-scale natural disaster, you could argue that the Idiocracy already prevails. Or from another angle, that humans act like idiots when in large groups. In either case, the quality of the humans reproducing may be a moot point.

And this is why Idiocracy will end up being prophesy: when your society makes having kids the dumb thing to do, you end up having lots of dumb people. I have three kids.

vonnik 12y ago

We're not saying having kids is the dumb thing to do. Kids are great. Kids with smart, caring parents are even greater. What we're saying is there are consequences to being careless with birth control. An unplanned pregnancy can be traumatic both emotionally and financially. People who want kids should think about when they'll have the bandwidth to raise them. If you want to spend your 20s raising kids, then by all means. If you're not thinking about it, and behaving carelessly, then maybe this article will make you wake up.

carsongross 12y ago
You are saying it is dumb to do from a financial standpoint. And your analysis is entirely correct. Mr. Money Moustache made effectively the same point in a recent blog post (although he of course had to rationalize having one child since that's what he did): http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/09/10/great-news-youre-allowed-to-have-only-one-kid/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/09/10/great-news-youre-a... What I would note is that this is also the analysis at the start of Idiocracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmRCixQrx8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmRCixQrx8 I believe that the second and third order effects of this analysis, which Idiocracy points to, are negative in the long run. Idiocracy is prophesy. I know this strikes many people as flippant, and I do find it quite funny, but I'm entirely serious.
- vonnik 12y ago
  Carson - we are saying that it is dumb to do in your 20s if you have income you could otherwise invest. Early investments trump later investments. We're not saying don't have kids. We're saying that 20-somethings could do themselves a favor by thinking long term. If people are going to have kids, then I certainly want the smart, hard-working, forward-looking people to have kids. We're not arguing against that. We're making an argument about a time of life. Personally, I have a daughter whom I love very much. She was not planned. I'm not actually sure that this planet will be a good place for her or for humans in a few decades, at the rate we are changing the environment. Given that we are headed for large-scale natural disaster, you could argue that the Idiocracy already prevails. Or from another angle, that humans act like idiots when in large groups. In either case, the quality of the humans reproducing may be a moot point.