Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelApproved
It definitely comes off as an elitist argument and the "license to have babies" comment almost rolls off the tongue when making this argument. Let me clarify - I'm not trying to argue that someone shouldn't have kids, I'm arguing that people of means tend to not have children and I am encouraging them to have more children.
I've never had anyone counter this argument so you've given me something to think about. Having a high IQ is not a guarantee that you'll be a good parent and many people who aren't having children might be doing so for good reasons.
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The inverse relationship between perceived intelligence and fertility is something that people consider to be problematic. However, it's worth noting that the matter isn't new, is, if anything, being mitigated by economic recession, and does not appear to generate long-term detrimental effects. I know you didn't advocate for the whole "license to have kids" thing, but it's a common canard that runs in tandem with Idiocracy.
The reasons why IQ and parenting "skill" tend to run in parallel seem to be at least partially rooted in economics. A rich parent simply has more parenting tools and capabilities, and it's much easier to raise kids with two or three times as much money, especially in the current climate where real wages are stagnant.
I think folks should have kids if they want to or not have them if they don't. "Smart" folks can talk themselves out of having children or find ways to intellectually justify having a dozen, but reproduction is such a basic human right that I find it best to stay out of people's business in this regard so long as our fertility/immigration tracks at above replacement rate.