Sort of back

chills · Post by **chills** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:21 pm

Some people have probably seen me on the grid, so I just wanted to confirm that yes, that's me, and I'm sort of playing again. I think it's been 3-4 months since I last played. Even with all the new settings and versions and whatnot, it's still fun.

Anyway, the reason I haven't been on is that my wife gave birth to our baby boy in early May. So yeah, I've been busy. One day, he'll beat me at Tron. I'll be so proud...

Post by **Lucifer** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:33 pm

Well congratulations on the kid.

Why's everyone having kids all of a sudden?

First Seeker, now you. Who's next? Is it time for Your_mom to bear fruit?

Show of hands, who is currently pregnant or has a significant other that is in that condition?

(keeps his own hand down, three is enough!)

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:50 pm

Welcome back and congratulations!

Lucifer: L... might be next.

Swampy · Post by **Swampy** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:09 am

Glad you're back

(Lucifer.. no fruit's being created over here! that practice stopped just a few days after I got married

)

Phytotron · Post by **Phytotron** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 1:57 am

My sweetie and I are vhemt volunteers, so no rugrats from us.

Post by **Lucifer** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:31 am

Oscilloscope wrote:My sweetie and I are vhemt volunteers, so no rugrats from us.

So you and your sweetie have decided to contribute to the continuing decrease in intelligence that is present in our society by hoarding your smart genes?

(basic assumption, that vhemt folks have smart genes

)

Phytotron · Post by **Phytotron** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:33 am

This one, plus the one directly below it: http://www.vhemt.org/biobreed.htm#wrongpeople

Post by **Lucifer** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 4:11 am

Heh, yeah, I've seen that site before.

It's fairly well entertaining, but I haven't managed to figure out if it's a joke or not. I'm disqualified, otherwise I'd join right up. I've even been sterilized! But I'm disqualified. Three kids, you know.

Phytotron · Post by **Phytotron** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:29 am

Oh, it's sincere -- just has a good bit of comedy thrown in. If it were too serious then it'd just be giving more people the misconception that people who choose to not reproduce are a bunch of bitter, angry whathaveyous. And we child-free folks really don't need any more guff from people like this horse's arse: "The debate over 'deilberate childlessness'"

Lucifer wrote:I've even been sterilized!

You too?!

Post by **Lucifer** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:40 am

You sure about that? He looks like your kind of guy, os!

The sick puppy wrote: Christians must recognize that this rebellion against parenthood represents nothing less than an absolute revolt against God's design. The Scripture points to barrenness as a great curse and children as a divine gift. The Psalmist declared: "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." [Psalm 127: 3-5]

...

Marriage, sex and children are part of one package. To deny any part of this wholeness is to reject God's intention in creation -- and His mandate revealed in the Bible.

I guess since he's betting on God bringing about the extinction of the human race, you guys are actually kindred spirits. You both want extinction, right? Let's just push the button and get it over with.

Aaaaa, more seriously. It's hard to get a specific point of view from the vhemt site, but the way I understand it, the main argument against having kids is about overpopulation. And argument I fundamentally agree with, I might add. But I also think that we should all generally be honest, not make promises we can't keep, and so forth.

And goddammit, I was promised that my generation would be exploring space and colonizing planets by now! And what do we have? Three successful private suborbital flights.

But still, realistically, even assuming we could transport people off this rock as fast as we can produce more, it's still not an acceptable solution. Can you just imagine the horrid environmental effects moving that much mass of this planet is going to cause? Nope, space travel isn't a solution to overpopulation. People choosing not to have kids is the solution. Even importing resources from space causes a shift in mass that would destroy our world if it was to support a growing population.

Of course, I didn't make that particular choice myself, and while I can respect when other people make it, I can't very well preach it, other than to note it as what I think is a Good Idea.

(and yes, I had my little army disbanded after my third kid)

Freewheelin'56 · Post by **Freewheelin'56** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 7:16 am

Congratulations. hope to see ya on the grid.

Post by **Tank Program** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 9:43 am

wb chills

Sabarai · Post by **Sabarai** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:38 pm

Welcome back Chills, and congratulations on your son

Fonkay · Post by **Fonkay** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:54 pm

Wait, so vhemt, are they against adoption too?
I can't see how the 2 are related

Phytotron · Post by **Phytotron** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 1:56 am

Fonkay lady: No, they/we aren't against adoption. Why would they be? In fact, there are a few places on the site where adoption and foster parenting are suggested as better alternatives to reproduction. A common refrain: "Why make a new child when there are already countless children in need of homes?" (Now, I have some minor and major disagreements with adoption process and law, but that's a separate issue into which I don't want to delve or digress here.)

Lucifer: The overpopulation issue relates to several other issues, both humanitarian and environmental/ecological. E.O. Wilson coined an acronym, HIPPO:

H - habitat destruction
I - introduction of exotic/invasive species
P - pollution
P - population
O - overconsumption