You’re better than that, tdn. That’s just as bad as saying “Disliking old people, or homosexuals, or Mexicans is the same as disliking tuna salad”.
My two children shrieked far less than the college student (SIL) in our home. They don’t shriek very much at all. This isn’t particularly unusual for an infant, as Malthus pointed out.
For one, I got that your kid is no longer an infant, though frankly I’d be more impressed if he told those stories at 6 months than at 3 years.
For another, I never said that babies shriek all the time. And I get that some have better dispositions than others. But the fact is, the more time you spend with an infant, his likelyhood of letting out a shriek approaches one.
Last summer I spent around 4 hours helping to babysit a six-month-old. When he was happy, he was an absolute delight, and I starting thinking “How come I don’t have one of these?” Then he went on a crying jag that went on non-stop for over two hours, and my question was answered. I just don’t have the patience for that.
Call it a character flaw if you must, but don’t you think that someone so flawed not becoming a parent is a GOOD THING?
So would I. A six-month old telling any “story” would be pretty impressive, given that most can’t even say “dada” at that age. 
You didn’t?
But what you originally said was this:
[Emphasis added]
Isn’t the obvious implication that you expect the kid to be shrieking “within a few minutes”, i.e. more or less all the time? I assume that the mere sight of a kid doesn’t give you headaches.
I’m not concerned about whether someone wants to be a parent - I fully support that being their decision, based on whatever the person wants.
I’m more concerned with expressions of prejudice directed at kids - though “mildly annoyed” is a better way of putting it.
No, actually it’s not. At all.
But you’ve all convinced me. After reading this thread, I have now decided to love children. I have come to the decision that their little shrieks no longer give me headaches. And I now welcome poopy diapers into my life. Please send some along ASAP.
But I hold steadfast on my hatred of tuna salad. I won’t change my mind about that until I’ve been compared to a racist for another three or four times.
Let me amend my statement then: I get a headache within a few minutes of the start of the shrieking.
And by “a few minutes”, no, I haven’t actually timed it with a stopwatch.
Geez, you have to be so precise with Dopers.
The goggles do NOTHING
You know, every parent in this thread was a “non-parent” at one time. I was a non-parent for 37 years, and I’ve been a parent for less than 5. I haven’t noticed any particular difference between the way I perceived children acting for the vast majority of my life and the way I perceive them as acting now. I don’t have any more particular tolerance for it than I used to. This insistence you have on ascribing behaviors and opinions to people based on their status as parents is weird, to say the least.
It’s not just her that’s doing it.
Hamadryad FTMFW
What is more analogous to a certain subset of people: fish salad or another certain subset of people? Take that idiotic analogy out back and shoot it, please.
Nobody is trying to convince you to adore all children.
Exactly, my wife is 25, is a Lead Editor where she works, which is the highest position available to her. Her boss continuously works very hard toward her advancement, is pushing her as a member of the Producer’s Guild. As the company grows she will be right at the top and eventually be part of the executive management team. She started there as an intern in college. Her boss even knows that we might have another kid in the future. She’s got an amazing resume for a 25 year old and is in a very dynamic growing company that is getting more and more press in major publications at the top of a new industry that has emerged only within the last decade. Her having a kid certainly did not limit her career advancement. I stayed home to watch the little one.
I was 29 when my daughter was born and I never had the resentment against parents that y’all share either.
Examples?
No, it’s wrong. Dogs don’t have rights.* People have the right to use service animals.
Your position is logically equivalent to saying that the law gives rights to wheelchairs. It obviously does not; it gives someone the right to access public places with a wheelchair. The rights are conferred upon the PERSON, not the wheelchair. A dog is no different; it is a tool used by a disabled person to cope with their disability.
** - As has been pointed out, in most civilized places dogs and other animals do have the implied right to be spared criminal levels of physical cruelty, but that’s a separate issue.*
Many people? Really? Perhaps I am unusually patient of service animals or something, but I’ve seen a lot of service animals (always dogs) in a lot of stores and other such places and I have never witnessed a single example of someone getting upset over the issue. I cannot imagine anyone I know being that stupid, and it’s not like I hang out at MENSA meetings. I even had a service dog in training jump up on me once - he was a young one on his second excursion - and I just laughed. I mean, it’s a friendly dog just forgetting his job for a moment. What’s the big deal? They’re not going to truly know how to behave in stores until they get some practice and make some mistakes.
I don’t doubt that some rare people are miserable assholes about service dogs and you’re always going to have the odd jerk who doesn’t get it, but it’s the exception. Understanding of service animals and their role in society is taught in public schools and through PSAs. Most people know what they are.
Perhaps you should consider what a totally ignorant ass-hat a person would have to be to bitch and whine about service animals and ask yourself if perhaps a little introspection with regards to children is not in order.
If we’re getting away from the issue of SERVICE dogs and into dogs in general, of course people care. A child is a person, a dog is not. People are worth more than dogs, and have rights. Our society is structured to accomodate people, as well it should be. I like dogs and like seeing them around, but of course they aren’t supposed to have the same access as human beings. They’re not humans.
I share a resentment against parents? Could you please point out the post where I said that? (Hint: Don’t bother looking. It’s a trick question.)
What, besides “emotionally immature, self-absorbed, narrow-minded, narcissistic, pinched little jackasses”, “imaginary persecution complex”, “character flaw”, “irrational prejudice”, and “bigot”?
Beats me.
It’s equally as idiotic to claim that someone who does not care for kids is identical to a racist. The idiotic analogies began long before I arrived here.
No, just that I have a deep character flaw if I don’t.
The point I was trying to make is that one generally cannot pick and choose what one likes. I can’t force myself to like infants any more than I can force myself to like tuna. Trying to logic me into liking either is futile.
But let’s say you’re right. I have little patience for children, therefore I have a deep character flaw and I’m barely better than Hitler. What, exactly, do you propose I do about it?
Forgive me. I didn’t realize you were trying to out-idiot someone. It all makes sense now. I wish I could say as much for the rest of your post.
Are you honestly saying that you don’t like anyone who happens to be aged from 1 day to 16 years? None of them?
Interesting that you’d post that in the same post where you called me an idiot.
I guess you missed the post where I said that I actually like most kids. Read for comprehension, sparky.
I didn’t call you an idiot, I simply used the words that you chose. Don’t like it? Make a better choice next time.
Then what the fuck are you talking about? If you like most kids, then how can you claim you don’t like children?
Why would you use multiple statements similar to the one below if you like most children?