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Baby: costs thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over a minimum of 18 years
Monitor: shows memes and games, costs a few hundred dollars for a good one, one time purchase
Obviously the child is the stupid financial decision
It depends on where you live. Believe it or not, kids still care for their elderly parents in some nations.
Making a life-changing decision - for more than just yourself - on the assumption that they will want anything to do with you in 40 years is, how do I put this... stupid as fuck?
And that assumes they also are able-bodied, of sound mind and judgement, can care for any others financially...
My folks are getting up there in age, and I'm not getting any younger myself. They are religious, I'm not. I'm LGBT, they are bigoted. I can understand the big picture of caring for others through community, they don't. They are still very capable and mobile, I'm disabled. What side of the fence do you think I'm on?
They could have just used a fucking condom. They should have. They didn't.
My mom would straight up tell us we were supposed to take care of her when she got old, it's literally the only reason I was ever given for why I was made. For that and other reasons I'm no-contact now, but it's an incredibly toxic mindset and even worse that you're inflicting that on your kids.
My mom had moved to the guilt phase, "none of you kids will take care of me when I'm old"
I can't speak for my siblings, but my mom at least knew better than to try that on me, I've straight up told her I resent her for ever having me, which was a little dramatic sure, but at least it got the point across lol
I think the key to this scheme working, however, is that you raise your children in such a selfless way that they would want to take care of you when you have nothing more to offer them. Which is to say, the only way this method works is if it’s not a “method” at all, just love.
Edit: inb4 honor culture. In the places you likely refer to, uncared-for elderly are considered a great dishonor. But also in these places, differences in social infrastructure and the parameters of personal finance significantly augment the decision. In short, it’s still a net cost of time and resources to raise a child, a balance that can only be paid by love.
I’m sure my daughter would want to. The problem is it’s completely unrealistic in the US. When I’m too old to care for myself, I’m going to insist on a nursing home. Hell, the LAN parties are going to be great by then.
It’s true. These days the average household income in the US isn’t enough for the added costs of elderly care without the supplement of social security and other programs. That trend only worsens.
I’m optimistic, however, that this will change as the differences in generational attitudes towards socialism are reflected more strongly in governmental policy. The baby boomers are already losing their grip on the levers of politics, and the millennials, in particular, are much more friendly to social policies.
That’s true, although this administration is perfectly timed to siphon off the largest wealth transfer in US history with the demise of the boomers.
True, though statistically it’s just cleaning the plate, as global elites have had their fill over many decades. Once people finally decide to stop pointing fingers at each other and unite against this scourge, there will be nowhere to run.
Afterward, global economies should stabilize and nations which start this process early will, I suspect, see much growth during the global recovery, so here’s hoping americans have some revolutionary spirit left.
My concern on that front is trust. After electing Trump, Biden, Trump, our allies see the US as a rocking ship. Our allies’ trust in us will take more than a term to regain.
For sure. I imagine it will take far more than one government/term to rehabilitate and repair international relationships (decades, I’d wager) but I think within our lifetimes we’ll get to see it!