# Should I be smothering my kids in their sleep? (Deliberately provocative title; the answer is no, and I don’t have kids) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 10, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-smothering-my-kids-in-their-sleep-deliberately-provocative-title-the-answer-is-no-and-i-don-t-have-kids/955848 "2021-12-10T19:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 25
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-smothering-my-kids-in-their-sleep-deliberately-provocative-title-the-answer-is-no-and-i-don-t-have-kids/955848/25 "2021-12-11T05:05:44Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So, okay. I know that America is inevitably going to collapse into a theocratic, dictatorial fascist state. And I know that shortly after, climate change will kill humanity. Yeah, fortunately or not you don’t really know anything. You just have convinced yourself you do. As thorny\_locust noted people have been predicting an impending catastrophic collapse for a long, long time. From Christian millenialists, to Malthusian catastrophists, to American declinists (pretty much around since the founding of the country). Nothing wrong with being concerned, even seriously worried about the state of the world and country. I am. But full-on wallowing in pessimism and nihilism based on imperfect knowledge is a genuine waste of time. You have no idea what’s actually going to happen and warning your nonexistent children that the future is all futility and despair would honestly be immoral. You don’t have to be a happy idiot spouting optimistic homilies, but Mr. Bleak isn’t much better. Some sane balance is called for. You know - for the sake of your nonexistent kids 🙂. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-be-smothering-my-kids-in-their-sleep-deliberately-provocative-title-the-answer-is-no-and-i-don-t-have-kids/955848)._