The generation that spent decades saying "if you couldn't afford kids you should have kept your legs closed" upon realizing that those that can't afford kids are, in fact, not having kids:

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I just don't want kids.

I'd like to take this moment to inform/remind people about filial responsibility laws. Filial responsibility refers to a legal concept where adult children are made responsible for their aging parents, including financially, for housing, for health care, and more. The laws differ by region, so it would be best to look it up for your particular location.

This is why some people are calling Millennials a "sandwich generation" - many of us are (or are going to be) made responsible for both the generation we raise, and for the generation that raised us, leaving us squished in the middle like a sandwich.

Governments and corpos want free meat for the meat grinder without providing living conditions that don’t make people actively crave death. They can suck a fat load.

It's the same sort of hand-waving you'd come across in the Bible, or in old history books.
"See, the reason why this once flourishing civilization suddenly faltered is... they had become too arrogant."
Or they sinned too much, whatever.

Selfish fucking boomers projecting their selfishness upon others. Typical.

Also having kids in such a horrible political and environmental context is pretty fucking shitty.

Correct, the most selfless act is to birth casualties for the next war. Their childhood poverty and lack of dreams will ensure it works!

Anything but creating a future people want to bring kids into. Posterity is dead.

Having a kid is the most selfish thing one can do with their life. You're saying "I like myself and my partner so much and think we're so good for the world that im going to make a mini copy of me and my partner, because the world needs more of us"

Can't force you to have kids, the kids aren't asking to be conceived or born. Only person making that decision is you and its a selfish one.

I say this as a father of two girls

I had a MAGAt religious zealot who was YOUNGER than me say I'm selfish for being ace. The mentality certainly surpasses generations.

Because smart phones give almost as much dopamine as a good bonk.

I think it's sad that things are so hard for folks who want to be great parents and raise amazing new human beings. It's super shitty that anyone would be demonized for wanting to raise a family, especially considering they most likely aren't the reason the world sucks and is too expensive most places. I agree the reason you see so much complaining about birth rates with no action is everything to do with folks wanting more meat for the grinder without budging on anything cost related to quality of life for said families. You see zero movement on trying to make it easier to have children, just complaining.

It also doesn't help that you used to have free roaming children. They came back home when it was getting dark outside. There was a whole community around them that would take care of them too.

Now you have to monitor your kids 24/7, push them to goals and activities or you're painted as a bad parent. There are heavy vehicles at high speed everywhere now so no more free roaming. Unaccompanied minors get reported to the police.

When the environment is actively hostile to children, it's also no wonder people have less children.

Personally, I refuse to reproduce because we're not even pretending to avoid 3+C

I won't have children just to suffer

I told the doctor that did my vaesctomy that I was doing it to fight white supremacy and they laughed during the operation 🥳 lol

People call those who don't want kids selfish. Perhaps. But what do you call someone who thinks they should duplicate half of themselves? Mother Fucking Teresa?

Wouldn't selfish people want to replicate themselves?

Having kids is the single most selfish thing you can do.

Hot take: if this is the case why do developing nations have significantly higher birth rates than developed ones?