• Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    The planet is on fire, the nazis are back, we’re taking leaps backwards in civil rights, genocides have become normalized, and the purchasing power of our labor has been hamstrung so many times that it’s a double amputee.

    Who the fuck looks at that dumpster fire and thinks “This is a great environment for a child!”?

    • PeepinGoodArgs
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      27 days ago

      My SO thinks, “We need more people like us”, as if we’re upstanding citizens lol. I mean, we oppose morally deficient nazis, as all nazis are, but otherwise…meh.

      • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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        27 days ago

        oppose nazis

        I mean, apparently that’s a lot to ask in today’s world, so your SO isn’t wrong, but having a kid for that purpose is ethically questionable, and cruel as fuck to the individual kid.

        “Sorry lil Timmy, your world is absolutely FUCKED but you’ve been chosen as a bucket of water to throw at the wild fire… good luck!”

        The idea of having a kid is just mean. Or at least whipping one up from scratch is - adopting and raising the kid to be a decent person is the best case scenario here, but that’s obviously a gargantuan undertaking that very few (absolute badass) people are willing and able to do.

        • PeepinGoodArgs
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          27 days ago

          you’ve been chosen as a bucket of water to throw at the wild fire

          Given that we live in New Mexico, where wildfires occur yearly and just get worse, that’s an apt metaphor. In fact, we’re getting a bit of smoke now from one. Yay…

  • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    28 days ago

    There are lots of hard working bright people that are literally dying to come work and live in your country. This is not a population problem. It’s a racism problem.

    • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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      28 days ago

      But immigration <> birth rate. Within 1 or 2 generations those new people will also not want to have kids since they won’t be able to afford anything either.

      • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        28 days ago

        Call me when the global birth rate is falling. Until then it’s a local problem.

        And when the global birth rate is flattening I will throw a fucking party because we can finally start thinking about global sustainability.

        • Xavienth@lemmygrad.ml
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          27 days ago

          The global birth rate is falling. It’s still quite above the replacement rate, but it is not as high as it used to be; it has fallen.

          This comment makes no value judgement.

        • sylver_dragon@lemmy.world
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          27 days ago

          Call me when the global birth rate is falling.

          I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of the phone ringing.
          UN Data shows the Fertility Rate falling from ~2.7 Births per Woman in 2000 to ~2.3 Births per Woman in 2024. Here is a handy chart of the data from 1960 to 2021. Global birth rates have been falling for most of the 20th and 21st centuries. Barring a major shift in demographics, the world’s population should peak this century. That isn’t a terrible thing, and probably a good thing from a climate perspective. But, it will have economic consequences which we will need to deal with (aging populations, economic stagnation, shrinking workforces, shrinking economies). None of this has to be a problem, but those types of demographic changes can cause societal instability.

          • vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            27 days ago

            Don’t be sorry, it’s the best news I’ve heard all decade!

            The maddening thing is that you know the economic consequences would be easier to deal with a bit of solidarity, but we’re not going to.

  • Buglefingers@lemmy.world
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    27 days ago

    I almost had kids, my one and ONLY condition with my partner at the time was a stable living situation, aka a house. It’s been years since them and its only gettingore unaffordable. I’ve had to move every year for the past 4 years to not get out priced. Rent has increased 50% since then too

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    28 days ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the general fertility rate has reached a historic low after decreasing almost every year since 2014.

    The issue is being increasingly discussed by experts and commentators, with X, formerly Twitter, CEO Elon Musk taking to the platform to say that the “collapsing birthrate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.”

    Polling conducted for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies surveying 1,500 eligible U.S. voters on May 1 has found that 42 percent of Americans are “not at all concerned” over falling birthrates.

    Neal Shah, founder and CEO of health-tech startup CareYaya, told Newsweek that the lack of desire to have children is down to a variety of factors, saying “2024 is a tough time to be a young adult.”

    "The uncertainties and stresses heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic could prompt people to reconsider their life goals and family planning choices.

    Other major economies, including Japan, China, South Korea and the United Kingdom, are also recording declines in the number of births each year.


    The original article contains 528 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 67%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!