[QUOTE=Faruiza]
Let me see if I can pinpoint exactly where, Bob55 is wrong…see, the thing about being enlightened is prescisely about overcoming what millions of years of instinct do to your body because it may not be right for you.
Where so far just Bob55 is a nasty, judgemental, narrow minded (lovely individual, I’m sure) is when you begin to deride childless people for being selfish. Bringing into it your assumption that regret will ensue is insane. I’d rather regret not having children than regret having them and thereby ruining the life of an innocent person. WHY do people like you insist that the only way to be sure is to procreate and THEN find out if it’s worth it?!
For the record, my folks are split up, but that didn’t happen until I was older. My upbringing has nothing to do with not wanting kids. My childhood was fine. I have a pretty good close knit family who I was lucky enough got the message early on that I wasn’t going to be the one to bring more children into the family.
[/QUOTE]
You can say your folks splitting up has nothing to do with it, but I beg you to reevaluate that.
And just because someone has an opinion different than yours does not make them nasty, judgmental, and narrow minded, please don’t personally attack me. In fact, in person I am a lovely person, I think the internet just hides too much inflection and humor to show this, if we were having this same conversation in a room you’d in no way be offended by me.
And yes, by definition, if you do not want children you are selfish. We didn’t get to this place in the world by having people who only care about themselves. You who say you don’t want kids, why is that? Deep down the reasons are only selfish. You want your life, how dare anyone or anything interupt it. You want to have your material things, you want your free time, you want to go out to clubs or bars, you want your career, or you want to just sit at home and watch TV. Every reason is a want, not a need. Therefore it is selfish. Disguise it any way you like, heck I don’t care. I’m just trying to prevent some of you from regretting it before it’s too late.
And to those who say “well some people shouldn’t have parents just read the newspaper and you’ll see that”…well yes, true. But the people on THIS board are obviously capable of logging onto a website and having an intelligent discussion on the matter, and the fact that you are able to do that says you’ll likely be intelligent enough to raise children.
[QUOTE=Miller]
What baffles me is the incredible arrogance you show in thinking your genes are so important they simply must be propagated. You aren’t that special, Bob. Neither are your kids. You aren’t doing anyone a favor by breeding. We’ve already got six billion more just like you.
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Well, clearly we got here somehow. And it wasn’t by our ancestors saying “you know I really don’t think I should be having kids”. Deep down we are a slave to our chromosomes, stop fighting it you will only feel empty and depressed 
The only reason I mentioned “Conservative” btw was because of the recent stats that Conservatives are having 230 kids per 100, while Liberals are having 160 per 100. I thought it was applicable to the discussion.
[QUOTE=Elza B]
Bob55, you’re a putz.
E.
[/QUOTE]
Why can’t anyone just have a discussion anymore? It always resorts to personal attacks, and as I’ve said before, when you go there you’ve lost.
[QUOTE=Uvula Donor]
Hey, fucknuts, guess what?
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Seriously, responses like this reveal your character.
[QUOTE=Wnabtokio]
When people ask that I don’t like, I usually tell them that I infrequently get very annoyed and angry when I hear repeated sounds, like barking, meowing, and, well, crying. And it’s true. I’ve never smacked a cat or anything like that, but you can shut a cat in a different room until you feel better. Can’t really do that with babies. Does that seem like a good enough reason to not want any?
I don’t mean to be rude, but I can see yours and others point of view that children are something you really enjoy, and feel are very meaningful to your life. Why would you refuse to consider my point of view that they would add nothing to my life that I don’t already have?
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Guess what, I too get annoyed by sounds like that. My son cries all the time, and at first it was very difficult, but as time went on I buckled down, learned to handle it, and learned to help resolve the issue that is making him cry. We all are bothered by repeating screeching sounds, but there’s a reason babies cry and it isn’t pleasant…because those babies who didn’t cry didn’t survive, millions of years ago. Babies cry for a reason, and you can usually get them to stop within a few minutes once you learn them. Being able to get him to fall asleep on my stomach when he was crying 5 minutes prior is worth every screech And guess what, as a woman, your cry tolerance is 10X a man’s. Motherhood makes you want to help that little guy, you wouldn’t want to shut him in a closet like a cat
You said “would add nothing to my life that I don’t already have”. Again it feels like we’re talking in terms of needs and wants here. You have everything you want. Life isn’t about wants, it’s about needs. I’m not sure specifically what your wants are, but the fact that you are on a subscription website says that your needs are being fulfilled at least (food, water, shelter, heat), so clearly there is room for a baby in your life. You just don’t want it, and that goes back to my argument that it is therefore selfish.
[QUOTE=Zeriel]
Personally, I think the best part of being human is that we’re no longer slaves to our genetic heritage and our instincts, and we can do things for rational reasons. Whatever those things and reasons are.
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Yes, we can. When it comes to uncivilized urges like hitting someone, or hunting for food. But rationale breaks down at the point of procreation. The fact that you are here says that your genes are incapable of no longer being a slave to your genetic heritage and instincts. In the end, the old brain stem (feed, fight, flight, or fornicate) always wins
[QUOTE=mrklutz]
Bob55, you’ve described that as a selfish decision. However, your main counter-argument is that if you don’t have kids, you won’t have anything to enrich your life as you grow older. Don’t you see that’s a selfish reason to have kids? (Never mind that I disagree with it – life can be plenty rewarding without offspring.)
[/QUOTE]
My counter-argument wasn’t that you wouldn’t have anything to enrich your life, that was a bonus. It was that it is selfish because you are only thinking of yourself and the here and now of your life. Again, needs and wants…
I’m not here to bother or offend people as many of you imply. I’m here to offer you the counterpoint, and if you don’t want it then please don’t post in The Pit. I’m only trying to explain my view of it all, not everyone else’s. It’s my opinion, I realize this. But I thought we were “open-minded” enough (as some of you have implied I am the one who is close minded) to listen to another’s viewpoint.
