Or People Could Just Mind Their Own Business

 

lmfao pic.twitter.com/frUDUD76He

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) August 4, 2021

This is a very deeply weird thing to decide: that leftists hate babies. Now, I am not their biggest fan, largely for aesthetic reasons. Often they are so basic and derivative of their parents. (Given what we know, the recent Domenech child is probably a cut and paste job.)  Also they are lousy conversationalists and not one of them can mix a proper drink. But as a general rule, I think of having children like getting a pool or a nipple piercing--it isn't my thing, but if it's yours, you just go ahead and be sure to take care of it. 

The argument is that children are a refutation of the left.  I've never felt refuted by them--frankly, a lot of what I want, like a cleaner environment and good schools and access to health care, is about people being able to raise their kids knowing they will have opportunities to live up to their potential. I'd love it if maternity was medically safe for all people, that the kids in this world could be sure of being homed, fed, and educated well, and that we were leaving a safe, and not-stupid world for them to live in--I'm pretty committed to it! 

But some of what he's saying is just dumb--

Children are brave—terrifyingly brave. Girls are fierce and independent. Boys are heroically reckless. They are not the helpless, timid victims leftists say people are. Just as important, neither are we. That’s the Left’s real problem with children: they create families. They turn boys into men, couples into parents, and women into the archangels we call moms

.Children are terrifyingly brave because they have no concept of consequences--that is learned over time. They do stupid things and we have to childproof the electric sockets and keep sharp things and household chemicals away from them. They might not be timid, but I'm pretty damn sure you wouldn't leave them all to themselves or think they can talk to any old stranger or would count on them to have your back in a knife fight. Parenting is, near as I can tell, steering kids away from being victims (and some parents are absolutely shit at that by victimizing their kids first off) but what about the sexism! Men without children aren't real patriarchs. Women without children aren't "archangels". 

Well, my husband is man enough for putting up with me and Jesus never wanted me for a sunbeam. The gall of saying grown people aren't grown enough because they made a reasonable choice sucks for a variety of reasons, but also, why I never had children isn't this piggy-eyed beardo's business. I can joke that I use my personality for birth control but I'm nearly 50 and after a lifetime of straight relationships, yeah, I had opportunity, if not motive, and never a close call. I just never thought of allocating my financial resources to making my body a medicalized greenhouse when other priorities existed--not to criticize any other woman for their fertility choices, but to offer an apologia for mine since asshat conservatives seem to want it. He doesn't know my mind or my uterus. He can shut the whole hell up about whether maybe babies would have made me a different person. 

J.D. Vance is another one. Except, he's decided that leftists, male and female alike, who haven't got kids and are concerned about the future and making it better are "cat ladies".  Being a lady is very bad and having cats only makes it worse, I guess. They have no stake in the future because no biological children (he dings step-momala VP Harris because of course he does) but also, he doesn't know the ways in which liberals absolutely support things like the child tax credit or support parental child care leave and lots of other things are totally about nurturing families. But he wants to feminize liberal men and ridicule liberal women. It's a troll for lib-triggering, to be sure.

Of course, J.D. Vance is a peculiar kind of knob, supported by a very peculiar knob indeed. Who for whatever reason might want more babies made in this world. (Hello QAnon! *waves viciously in childless liberal*.)  His opponent is also hot theocratic garbage, but almost seems to make being hot garbage look easy--I guess from having been at it longer. 

They both totally suck ass and should get bent though. Along with any other person who thinks grown people aren't grown enough unless they procreated. And if they have any questions about that, I would say, as my ancestors might have, they could sit down and have a good talk with a priest about his choices to be a Father and not a father.