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What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

derekthompson.org

491–500 of 927 posts

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because things are supposedly “normal”, or happened “for all of history” it doesn’t make it right or moral in any way. I expect better, more thoughtful replies on HN than this.

having kids is, by default, right and moral.

Weird, I think having the right to bodily autonomy and freedom to control your own life is - by default - right and moral. And any attempt to mandate what others must or cannot do, outside of what harms those around them, is - by default - wrong and immoral.

Shockingly, declarations as if we are gods laying down "the one true morality" are not actually definitions of "the one true morality".

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#492

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No - being a mom and having to work full time sucks. Being a full time mom probably isn't that bad.

If you read forums of new parents (e.g. parenting subreddits), the common consensus is that being a stay at home parent is far harder than a job.

As a counterpoint, I am a stay at home parent right now because I’m on paternity leave and it is by far the best time I’ve ever had in my life

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#493
post #344
post #161

My $0.02 is being a mom sucks. In modern relationships, men just want to work and come home to a cooked meal and clean house, but their wives are working just as many hours the men are. Having kids means tension in relationship, unpaid labor by the woman, and stress parenting kids. Even if the husband steps up, he still can't breast feed for 3 hours per day. Pregnancy is really terrible on the woman's body. Post-part…

> Even if the husband steps up, he still can't breast feed for 3 hours per day. Breast pump is a thing, the husband can definitely do the feeding with frozen breast milk warmed up in minutes. Or just do formula.

Yes, and no.

Even if dad can give the baby mom‘s pumped breastmilk, Mom still needs to pump more to keep the supply up and avoid pain. So mom has to wake up anyway.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#494

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was just 60 years ago, and most cultures in the world today still practice this form of sexual modesty.

How’s that working out? Overbearing control over sex is not only unnecessary, it’s the problem. It’s also so exceptionally culturally ingrained, people immediately and emotionally come to its defence.

whats the problem?

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How’s that working out? Overbearing control over sex is not only unnecessary, it’s the problem. It’s also so exceptionally culturally ingrained, people immediately and emotionally come to its defence.

whats the problem?

[dead]

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#496

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

If they were really selfish, then they'd stop being parents. It's not selfish to say that something you're going through is hard or sucks if you're still putting in the work.

I think there's a strong argument to be made that people choosing to not have children far less selfish as far as ecological damage is concerned.

The thing with the most impact to climate and environment is without a doubt, people. People having kids are selfish.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#497

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only because of immigration. But eventually you run out of people to import...

We live in a global society.

Maybe you do. Most of us live as humans do: in tribes, protective of our own space.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#498

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes of course being a mom AND WORKING A FULLTIME JOB sucks because doing anything that effortful and working a job sucks. Drinking beer and playing video games for 10 hours a day AND WORKING A FULLTIME JOB would also suck. From everything I hear, being a mom is pretty awesome and rewarding. But there are only 24 hours in a day and you can't have everything and you have to choose what is most important. Welcome to lif…

> From everything I hear, being a mom is pretty awesome and rewarding. Then you don’t even read magazines , let alone mom forums, or attend playgroup, or basically hear anything.

Let me guess: you're not married, nor do you have kids, nor do you hang out with people who have kids.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#499

The tiny period of time that allowed some men in the wealthiest parts of the world to purchase property and support a family of 4+ on a single salary was an anomaly. It was a macroeconomic fluke, forever lost to the specific place and time that allowed it to briefly flourish. There's a chance a highly-automated future could reduce our neccesary working hours to those boomtime levels. But the one thing that will absol…

Nah I don't believe it was a fluke, I believe it is still possible today if not even more so if our economic system wasn't focused purely focused on maximizing capital generation and maximizing profit margins. People are working more today than ever and have never been more productive.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It worked for hundreds, or maybe, thousands of years. What we’ve been doing for just some decades is already leading to talks of population collapse. Maybe that way wasn’t wrong.

Sex was great back then? For women? Gays? Who? The point you make is backward-looking. I suggest we as a culture look forward instead.

> Sex was great back then?

Yes, obviously; there was a much higher reproductive rate. It seems like you're talking about enjoyment or something else, but that really wasn't the focus of this thread.

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