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Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

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Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#811

Post by jMyles »

hmcq6 wrote: post #224
lolinder wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is unnecessarily confrontational and inaccurate. According to census.gov, the current national homeownership rate is hovering at about 66%, which is about the same rate that it's been (+/- 3%) since they started tracking in 1964 [0][1]. This isn't restricted to old people either: 49% of 30 to 34 year olds and 58% of 35 to 39 year olds owned a home in Q4 2023 [2]. There are certainly regional differences in housi…

You're misconstruing what census.gov says. If you look into the "definitions" section it defines "Housing Unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a group of rooms, or a single room occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters." and "Householder. The householder refers to the person (or one of the persons) in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented [...]" 49% of people aged 30-34 aren't…

This turned into a wild and (perhaps understandably) aggressive discussion.

After reading all of the back-and-forths here, I just wanted to thank you for continually being the clarifying force in this discussion, even amidst the downvotes and fallacies.

As a 41-year-old urban homeowner, I knew I was in a lucky category, but I didn't realize how difficult it actually is to know how lucky based on the available data.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#812

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

wyldfire wrote: post #791
iamleppert wrote: post #768

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn’t imagine bringing a child into this messed up world. I really feel we are at the beginning of a mass extinction and future generations, no matter how rich and well off physically, will be destined to a life of suffering.

> I really feel we are at the beginning of a mass extinction Presumably that extinction would take place several generations from now? One great way to avoid or slow extinction would be to procreate. > this messed up world As bad as things might be, aren't they way way way way better than they were in previous generations? Before Russia invaded Ukraine we were on a really great streak of very little warfare on Earth…

> I think maybe you are taking too many things for granted that are really quite good in modern times.

The facts that (a) the world is better than it has ever been and (b) the world is currently awful and (c) we can make the world much better, are all true statements. This good article was recently discussed on HN: https://ourworldindata.org/much-better-awful-can-be-better

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#813

Post by giantg2 »

vundercind wrote: post #777
refurb wrote: post #524

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty much. I used to live in a mid-sized mid-West city in the US and still keep in touch. Most everyone I know bought a house, even with the modest wages they had. Why? Because there are plenty of homes in the $100-$200k range, even now.

Hell, you can buy beautiful, updated small mansions in the heart of many small midwestern towns for under $200k. The trouble is: 1) no local jobs to speak of (unless you want to clerk at the farm & feed or assistant-manage the McDonald’s out by the highway) 2) nearest hospital that can do more than stabilize you before shipping you somewhere better, is over an hour away. 3) the schools are really, really bad 4) no lo…

"the schools are really, really bad"

Depends on the state and locality. Some rural schools have good opportunities.

But pretty much agree on the other parts.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#814

Post by jollyllama »

bongodongobob wrote: post #75

You're baffled people aren't having kids? What bubble do you live in? People straight up can't afford housing much less children. The avg American is completely priced out of owning a home right now. Edit: the replies - y'all are out of touch. Visit an average family in the Midwest with a household income of < $100k/yr that doesn't own a home yet.

Good point, but that's never stopped people before. Even if this is the worst poverty ever inflicted, you'd have to chalk it up to the combination of that plus birth control and/or changed social norms.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#815

Post by tivert »

bowsamic wrote: post #391
remarkEon wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I encounter this attitude I like to remind that person that they should have no voice, whatsoever, in what happens in government and politics anymore. I don't want people who are self-selecting themselves out of the future having any say in what happens for my children. It's fine that you don't want kids, enjoy the golf course I guess. But in general I will discount your opinions to zero on anything else of…

That is bizarre. Someone disagrees with you so all their political rights should be removed? What?

> That is bizarre. Someone disagrees with you so all their political rights should be removed? What?

You're misunderstanding him. I think it's more on the line of "freeloaders shouldn't have a say on what work gets done."

The GGP literally said "I don't really care about the preservation of the human species. I'm going to be dead in the next 40 years or so, why should I care?" If someone has that attitude, and explicitly rejects responsibility to go all-in on selfishness, they've pretty clearly given up the moral right to be part of decision-making for the future.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#816

Post by AlwaysRock »

Meh. I have ~17 cousins on one side of my family I spent 2 weeks with almost every summer of my childhood. Never got really close to them. Dont really see them or talk to them now.

I guess if said cousins lived in the same town as we did or really close by this would ring more true. Seems like this is more an issue with losing community than cousins.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#817

Post by jplusequalt »

silisili wrote: post #397
bongodongobob wrote: post #75

You're baffled people aren't having kids? What bubble do you live in? People straight up can't afford housing much less children. The avg American is completely priced out of owning a home right now. Edit: the replies - y'all are out of touch. Visit an average family in the Midwest with a household income of < $100k/yr that doesn't own a home yet.

Yes they can. People are just too selfish and think of kids as costing lattes and ruining their free time. Believe it or not, kids don't have to be expensive as reports have you believe. They can go to public school, wear hand me downs or walmart clothes, and eat what would have been leftovers. Most coworkers with kids I've spoken with complain about costs of daycare, babysitting, and Montessori schools. We pay for n…

How is it selfish to not want children?

There is more to life than being a parent.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#818

Post by jf22 »

eropple wrote: post #674
mlrtime wrote: post #635

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is still more affordable housing in TX than anywhere in the US. Texas is building more than any other state (Florida is close). I just drove by a new development [in TX], with brand new homes that start at 1800/mo for a 3 Bedroom. Financing by the developer. So if you get out of Dallas or Austin you will find affordable housing.

How far do you have to drive to go to a supermarket from that development? To a library? (Silly me, expecting people to go to a library in 2024, right?) If Dallas or Houston or Austin had decent mass transit out to those areas that'd be one thing, but they wouldn't be very "mass", and therein lies one of the problems. Car culture increases isolation and generally shits up the world ever further; somewhere like a YOLO…

Yes, but the houses farther out are affordable because they lack those amenities.

The same narrative plays out over and over again. "I can't afford a house with an easy drive to a supermarket and library, and I want to be carless."

Well yeah, so does everybody else, which is why that type of housing is expensive.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#819

Post by webdood90 »

baq wrote: post #796
cntrmmbrpsswrd wrote: post #617

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The idea that not having kids is a selfish act is ridiculous and needs to end.

It is. Who will buy your products and services 20-30 years from today? If the question sounds ridiculous, trust me it isn't. You can look at demographics of China, or if you don't particularly care about that but care about finance, long duration government debt.

> Who will buy your products and services 20-30 years from today?

Won't someone think of the poor capitalists!

That's a sad excuse to bring a life into this world. A world that suffers from the side effects of capitalism, ironically.

Re: Cousins are disappearing. Is this reshaping the experience of childhood?

#820

Post by giantg2 »

eropple wrote: post #674
mlrtime wrote: post #635

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is still more affordable housing in TX than anywhere in the US. Texas is building more than any other state (Florida is close). I just drove by a new development [in TX], with brand new homes that start at 1800/mo for a 3 Bedroom. Financing by the developer. So if you get out of Dallas or Austin you will find affordable housing.

How far do you have to drive to go to a supermarket from that development? To a library? (Silly me, expecting people to go to a library in 2024, right?) If Dallas or Houston or Austin had decent mass transit out to those areas that'd be one thing, but they wouldn't be very "mass", and therein lies one of the problems. Car culture increases isolation and generally shits up the world ever further; somewhere like a YOLO…

"How far do you have to drive to go to a supermarket from that development?"

That's the system - resource scarcity and preference. If you live in a densely populated area, prices tend to be higher because real estate is constrained. Zoning won't fix all of that because many people have a preference for SFH, larger sizes, etc. You end up with options and amenities, but it will cost more due to the consolidation. Or you end up with space, needing to drive to amenities, and cheaper prices largely due to less competition.

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