this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2025

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289

Do you feel sad for people born today? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

289 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I personally cringe when I hear a friend js having a kid. All I can think of is how bad theyre going to have it. Hell id definitely have been better off being born 20 years earlier, but these new kids are REALLY screwed unless they have super rich parents.

"Nothing new under the sun" I suppose!

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[–] DarthFrodo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

Since the industrial revolution, fossil fuels were the only affordable energy sources that could meet the demand of industrialized countries. Until 5-10 years ago.

We're now in a situation where most people can still pretend that climate change isn't serious, and the fossil fuel lobby is stronger than ever. And yet over 90% of new electricity generation is already renewable, because it has simply become cheaper than coal and gas power in the last years.

As climate impacts worsen, the pressure to decarbonize will only get larger. The lobbies have been fighting tooth and nail against the energy transition for over 40 years, but they are rapidly loosing ground now in most countries.

It's right to be alarmed about climate change, there will be serious long-term impacts, but it seems irrational to be completely fatalistic. Just comparing the battery prices and solar panel prices and ev market with 10 years ago reveals a truly massive shift. And this is just the beginning of the energy transition.

[–] Bunbury@feddit.nl 5 points 1 hour ago

It’s the main reason I’m not having children. While there are other reasons the main one is a combination of global warming made worse by late stage capitalism and the resulting political instability that comes with that.

While I refuse to make the choice to bring someone new into this world myself I do see it as my duty to help as many of the kids around me who were brought into this world regardless. The world they were bron into is not their fault and I appreciate being able to use my resources to help them and their parents.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I think that, no matter when you were born in history, there were trials and tribulations.

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago

Yes, but there were definitely parts of history where we looked towards the future and wanted to make something awesome. Where we were hopeful.

Today it seems we already know we're on a completely fucked trajectory. That time is running out, but the people who care don't have the power, and the people with power think nothing can touch them.

[–] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

Yes

[–] Tuuktuuk@sopuli.xyz 19 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

My children are still very young, but oh are they happy!

They are enjoying their life and no future suffering will ever take that away from them.

I wouldn't want to deny those awesome humans their right to play as merrily as they do. To create, to enjoy life. They exist right now as well, in 2025 and 2026.

The end of life is always painful. Life is still worth it.

[–] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 33 minutes ago)

It's a very personal decision and I'm happy about every child that's not born. But collectively not having children feels pretty bleak to me. Are we as a species giving up, rolling on our back and wait to go extinct? Come on! There is so much beauty and so much to do in this world.
My children are having a great time, they bring joy, purpose and chaos to my life. I love having them around, even though their future scares me. That has always been part of being a parent. I feel like some doomer lemmings need to go outside a little more, instead of telling themselves how awful everything is.

[–] MourningDove@lemmy.zip 8 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Absolutely I do. And I don’t understand what makes a person think that bringing a new life into this disaster is a good idea.

[–] jabeez@lemmy.today -2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Well, hopefully you at least feel thankful that so many of your ancestors brought children into a world much more filled with pain and suffering and death than today.

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 4 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

I'm not, lmao. My life sucks. Wtf is with all the breeders here trying to justify their contributions to climate change!? There is immensely more pain and suffering in our immediate future than there was at any point in human history. We are literally looking at the end of humanity here.

[–] jabeez@lemmy.today -2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Oh, and are you not contributing to climate change? Ok for you tho, just not kids?

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 0 points 53 minutes ago

Oh, I still am, but I'm not increasing my footprint exponentially by adding more lives to the equation.

[–] jabeez@lemmy.today -1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Breeders, oy..... So wtf you still doing here if so miserable and zero hope?

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 1 points 44 minutes ago (1 children)

I'm here because I'm trying to figure out what's going on in your head. You're trying to justify having children when we're barrelling towards the most dire point of humanity's history, one that will potentially cause the extinction of our species, while the powers that be are putting their foot on the gas. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Yeah, I'm going to call you a breeder because it appears that your not practicing responsible parenthood, you're just breeding like an animal.

...unless you were trying to indirectly tell me to kill myself. If so then grow a pair and say it to my face. I'm still here because I know I'll hurt the people around me if I end my life. That's it. That's the only reason why I still live. I'm a trans gal in Texas. I don't have much to look forward to.

Do the rest of the world a favor and get yourself neutered, breeder.

[–] jabeez@lemmy.today 1 points 27 minutes ago

I'm not trying, nor will I ever try, to justify a goddamned thing to a hateful fuck like you, just pointing out you're a logically inconsistent hypocrite.

[–] xiwi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 8 hours ago

Life will be harder but your kids might make it better for the others

[–] Lucky_777@lemmy.world 9 points 13 hours ago

I think the next generation is going to start feeling it hard. Current generation will slip by but barely. I'm not pressuring my kids to have their own. Just do you fam.

[–] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 7 points 13 hours ago

I mean, I made a conscious decision not to have children, so...

[–] Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 11 points 17 hours ago

If you were born 20 years earlier you'd get to destroy the planet and die before there was any consequences?

The kids will be fine, they are smarter and more capable than those that came before them, every time. The real problem is people living so long they aren't making room for the young people. Think turnover at a restaurant, and all the diners finished eating and paid but won't leave.

[–] BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 10 points 19 hours ago

I was born in the 90s and I feel sad about being born to this day, can't imagine the poor kids who are gonna grow up now

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 7 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I feel like most people today have kids just because they feel that's what they should be doing or because they just want a kid. I feel having kids is almost, incredibly selfish? If that makes sense.

[–] TwistedTurtle@sh.itjust.works 11 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

What an odd take. Reproducing is arguably the #1 motivation, and purpose, of all life on this planet. Biologically anyway. You're taking issue with a fundamental trait of life that's baked into our DNA.

May as well deem people selfish for wanting food and shelter too.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 7 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, I don't get how people can think like this but not want nukes to take out everything. Like you're living this shit, too, if you are willing to keep living this shit, why do you assume it's a bad thing for anyone to bring someone else into it? Anti-natalism is pro-extinction from my pov.

Not that I have an issue with people taking themselves out of the gene pool or anything, I just find the position wildly inconsistent with anyone who wants to continue living themselves.

And to be clear, I mean specifically the "if you choose to have a kid, you are bad" position, I can understand "having kids is not for me, I don't want to do parenting".

[–] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Hey there, I’ll try to clear things up a bit. At this point in time, here’s a list of things going on in the world:

1.) Collapse of world democracies- the US is fascist now with several countries on their way. It’s a reasonable assumption that a child born today will experience less freedom than you ever have.

2.) Collapse of the environment. - The planet is becoming uninhabitable. 60% of insect species are gone. Temperatures are rising. There’s more than a few inferences that can be made from this…

3.) Collapse of the middle class - it kinda ties into #1, and a lot of people have seen this coming for a while too. We’re being split into an ownership class and a working class. If that divide continues growing (like graphs would indicate) we’re heading towards a neo-feudalist state. That’s not a pleasant experience for anyone other than those at the top. I’m not at the top, you probably aren’t either.

4.) Idiocracy Effect - the beginning part of idiocracy, where it’s explained that dumb people are popping out 10 kids while intelligent people are spending years planning their first. If you are one of the smart people, you’d be forcing a new version of yourself to live in a world with exponentially more dumb people than the world you live in today. If you’re one of the dumb people, well….

The last one doesn’t get a #, but I also have questions surrounding consent for existence. I won’t get into that because I don’t have a fully formulated opinion on that specific area yet. I’m still working it out for myself.

[–] elephantium@lemmy.world 6 points 20 hours ago

No. I felt sorry for people born yesterday, but I think today's kids will be OK.

Not sure about tomorrow, though. :P

[–] TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 16 hours ago

nope

[–] bstix@feddit.dk 14 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I think things will make a turn in about ten years. Yes, climate is very critical, but the kids of today will have a better shot at shaping the world in a time when the last old ideas from the fossil fueled age have finally died.

It's going to get rough, but at least they have a chance of changing it. We never did get a chance, because the boomers were kept alive with improved healthcare. It's the same people who have all the wealth and power today as it was in 1980s.

So maybe Gen-X and millennials will be the next old assholes, but at least they're better educated and their views are much better aligned with younger generations than the old ones. We might finally be able to work together across generations politically in just a few years time. It's much needed, and it's hard work, but I envy the kids who get to be the creators of the post-boomer society.

[–] pugnaciousfarter@literature.cafe 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We need more optimism, for sure. But I can't get my head around the idea that the new generation will be better than us.

The 70 years of relative stability has been exchanged by a few dickheads to make as much money over the expense of everyone as possible. Those people mean to keep it that way.

Even if I am being pessimistic, social media has made everything so depressing. We used to believe in continuous progress, we used to be excited about the future.

No, we have to funnel money to that lizard bot so he and his buddies can build their private bunkers because they know what they're doing is fucked up, but the money is too enticing.

[–] TheMinister@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 day ago

Yeah the problem is with all the deregulation on generational wealth and workarounds for rich people to stockpile and keep their money, the offspring of the ruling class will be the same kind of assholes. Look at Sam Altman, he’s not old. Look at mark whateverthefuck. He’s not old. Now, those people didn’t exactly inherent their money, but you can’t tell me these guys won’t be around for the next 40 years fucking shit up. And their kids? And the kids of all the Murdochs, the bush kids, the Koch offspring…there are a lot of shitty families able to reproduce and spread their sickness. This isn’t going to wind down and give us a fresh start. These rich people will be protected by an increasingly violent state and they will all burn it down before they let it change. They’re not weakening over time. They’re amassing even more wealth and the regulations and ideas around capitalism are only getting more virulent and violent. We aren’t about to ride off into the sunset on the backs of a new generation. They are going to be focusing on surviving, more than we ever were.

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