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@clubinternet • 4 Years Ago

clubinternet

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It seems clear that what we have come to think of as “late capitalism” — that is, not just the economic system, but all its attendant inequalities, indignities, opportunities and absurdities — has become hostile to reproduction. Around the world, economic, social and environmental conditions function as a diffuse, barely perceptible contraceptive.

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I agree, but "hostile" feels like the wrong word in some cases. 'Anders Krarup is a 43-year-old software developer living in Copenhagen who recently rediscovered his love of fishing. Most weekends he drives to the Zealand coast, where he communes with the sea trout. When he’s not working at his start-up, he meets friends for concerts. As for a family, he’s not particularly interested. “I’m feeling very content with my life at the moment,” he told me.' It's not just that society restricts having children; it also provides opportunities to self-actualize (or self-stimulate) that seem to be eclipsing it. Reminds me of this quote: "What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one."

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I agree, but "hostile" feels like the wrong word in some cases. 'Anders Krarup is a 43-year-old software developer living in Copenhagen who recently rediscovered his love of fishing. Most weekends he drives to the Zealand coast, where he communes with the sea trout. When he’s not working at his start-up, he meets friends for concerts. As for a family, he’s not particularly interested. “I’m feeling very content with my life at the moment,” he told me.' It's not just that society restricts having children; it also provides opportunities to self-actualize (or self-stimulate) that seem to be eclipsing it. Reminds me of this quote: "What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one."

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Birth rates seem incredibly difficult to explain. There are so many dimensions--changing expectations, government policies, diverse cultures and economies--that a explanatory or predictive theory feels out of reach. One thing I don't understand: if the reason isn't "ugly nativism," why should we care about falling birthrates at all? We're always complaining about wasteful consumption and praising open immigration, so why should rich countries be scared of falling birth rates? I understand the personal desire--I just had a kid myself, and I want to have more, and I don't want society to screw me for making that choice--but defending the individual choice to have children is very different from wanting to raise the birth rate of an entire country. Why promote the latter, if not "ugly nativism"?

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