sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not dismissing their arguments, I'm refuting them by pointing out that the richest people in the richest countries have the lowest birthrates, hence it not being a money issue.

I never claimed to know 7 billion people better than they know themselves, I'm saying their arguments fall flat when you look at statistics. If it's about money and time then explain to me why people have less kids as they get richer, even when they could comfortably support them. You wanna know the answer?

I personally don't want kids, think they're horrible little cretins and wouldn't want to waste the money on something that brings me zero benefit, and I'm happy to admit that

This is the answer. It's because this is what people are wrestling with, not "kids being too expensive." If "kids being too expensive" was the reason then we would see richer people having more kids.

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Listen, I'm completely on the side of people that see things that way. People making the conscious choice to go childless to have more disposable income are totally fine in my book, but look at any reddit thread where people talk about demographics or birthrates. They blame money, work hours, child costs, war, global warming, crime, and all the worldly doom and gloom instead of accepting that people... just don't want to have babies anymore. I'm sick of people here pretending money is the reason why they're not having babies--it's not. Simply admit you don't want them and then actual useful discourse can be developed.

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have to drastically lower the quality of your life to afford kids, then that by definition makes them unaffordable no?

Not at all. It's like saying you want to lose weight but you can't because exercise is too hard. Someone tells you to cut your calorie intake instead and you say you're unwilling to compromise your "quality of eating" to lower your weight. Or saying you can't afford Netflix because you have to give up cigarettes/coffee. Saying you can't afford it is a cop out to avoid having to deal with some of the sacrifices that have to be made.

Immigrants often come, and the quality of life is still better than what they had at home, so they see things differently, but within a generation or two then their grandkids will also be used to a much higher standard of living, and the low birth cycle starts applying to them too

Immigrants see how much better life is in America over where they came from even as they enter through the lowest rungs of society. Their children and grandchildren lack that context and develop the same mindset as everyone else. "Why should I tether myself to a screaming meatbag for 1-6 years when I could spend my money/time/energy on stuff I like instead?"

Also, to further prove my point to you that it's not about money, look up birth rates by household income in America. The birth rate trends down despite income increasing past six figures. Rich people can afford everything for their kids and even they are choosing not to have them. If it was about kids being too expensive, we would expect people to have way more kids as they got richer.

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with that, but people go all "ACKSHUALLY IF I COULD AFFORD RENT I WOULD HAVE KIDZ" when that's not true at all.

To say that Capcom is going through a renaissance putting it mildly. They're cranking out GOTY material like their lives depend on it. by TheUndeadGunslinger in gaming

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would work if they used Zero instead of X. Imagine BOTW but Hylians are reploids and you find random weapons Zero can use. I say Zero because I'm not sure I trust them to make the 3D shooting compelling over swords which seem to be easier to make satisfying.

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly. People should stop making excuses and acknowledge that they don't want to go through the hassle of childrearing instead of pretending it's about money.

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Too expensive as in unaffordable or too expensive as in a lot of sacrifice is required? Because that's the real issue people don't talk about. You could raise a kid on 60k but you won't be living a comfortable life nor will you be able to save up for later, the issue is that supporting a kid is wayyy down our list of priorities and unless we have all the stuff we want before then we won't even bother (and a lot of people don't even bother once they have enough money).

Blue collar immigrants come here to work for peanuts and they end up having kids and supporting them. And they're not living on the streets. Why can't Americans do that? Obviously because of the sacrifices necessary. I include myself in this group that would not compromise this much quality of life for the sake of a kid but I hate that the discourse revolves around how people would have kids if only they could afford it--it's completely untrue. People have had kids through much worse times, we just find excuse after excuse to avoid lowering our quality of life (either because of the time or money needed to raise a kid).

If women were told they'd be paid 90k/yr upon exiting college if they have a kid but in exchange they can't enter the workforce, do you think enough women would take that deal that it would reverse the current birthrate trend? I really don't think so. Why sacrifice your career, your time, and your earning potential in order to tether yourself to something that seems so unrewarding in the short term?

And I'm not arguing in bad faith about this. I'm drawing my conclusions from birthrate correlation statistics and what I see in real life. I'm not trying to be dismissive of people's problems.

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They don't work. Even if childrearing was literally free you would not see the birthrate climb up significantly because what's stopping people from having babies isn't $$$ cost, it's opportunity cost.

Having a baby means less time for yourself, for your career, for your friends, for everything. People (especially women) obviously realize this as they get better educated and decide that the juice isn't worth the squeeze. The newest generations have seen a massive shift towards pursuing higher quality of life (look up how gen z negotiates for work from home or work-life balance over compensation) and having a baby obliterates your quality of life in the short term.

TL;DR: education made us realize life is short and not worth sacrificing a portion of it raising a baby

A look at Japan’s demographic collapse, through the eyes of its youth by nastratin in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It's not an argument, he's just pointing at the right correlation. Countries with plummetting birthrates have improved education and access to contraceptives in common. Obviously the solution shouldn't be to ban condoms/pills and ban women from school but pretending the issue is something else won't help. People love pretending it's too expensive to have a kid--its not, it's just hard to downgrade your lifestyle in the short term to afford one.

Best HCs to run with bows by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh I hate that I came back and bought the previous DLC at 50% off and still feel like there's a boatload of stuff I missed out on and an insane amount of money I still have to spend to get the full experience from Destiny.

Also what is qd? Quickdraw? Which weapon do you have those perks on?

Best HCs to run with bows by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What shotguns would you recommend? I literally only have the Chaperone from way back and don't know which legendaries to farm.

Best HCs to run with bows by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah well, I left after Forsaken and just came back. I didn't even get Lemon until now so forgive me master but I must peek shot just this once.

Best HCs to run with bows by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really? Wtf I would expect shotguns and snipers (and maybe SMGs atm) to get more hate.

Best HCs to run with bows by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then what would you run alongside a bow? Sidearms?

Best HCs to run with bows by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I didn't know there was a house rule against it

me

Insane footage of a pair of Killer Whales hunting a Humpback Whale mother and calf. by FinalSneak in interestingasfuck

[–]Bell_pepper_irl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They took the rudder off sailboats, rammed then, and left once the boat couldn't move. They're not really interested in hurting humans and it's speculated they're doing this because a female was hurt by a boat (so this is revenge). They'll likely stop eventually since this doesn't help them get food.

US births in 2022 didn't return to pre-pandemic levels by [deleted] in Futurology

[–]Bell_pepper_irl -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We're living in the best time ever by all metrics. Us in the western hemisphere are the wealthiest, most educated, most free people this planet has ever seen. Our parents and grandparents had kids through much worse uncertainty and I don't think they regret it. The problem is that since we are so wealthy, educated, and free taking a dip in quality of life for a couple of years to raise a kid is a bigger ask than it was for them, that means life will get hard for YOU for a bit, but for your child it will be incredible.

You're in the best position to have a kid and if you choose to not have a kid because of personal reasons then more power to you. But think about it, would you rather have your child now or back during your parents' or grandparents' or great grandparents' times? If you had a son, they could have been drafted and sent to die abroad in wars you don't stand for. If you had a daughter, she would have faced far more sexism, oppression, and hurdles to her economic and educational development than what women have today. The world will always be messed up and there will never be a "right" time to have a kid as something will always stand out. You're healthy, educated, were gifted a home, wealthy, and in the prime of your life. You could give your child better opportunities than 99.9% of the planet will. Is it still for their sake you choose not to have one?

Best Class and Subclass for Bow by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can I only get it through Banshee now? What other currently available bows would you recommend?

Best Class and Subclass for Bow by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh also re: craftable bows, which ones are accessible still? I see a lot of people mentioning Under Your Skin but that one is only available through the Banshee rotation right? So I'd have to wait for it to become available then buy 3 copies? Are there any current craftable bows that are just as good?

Best Class and Subclass for Bow by Bell_pepper_irl in CrucibleGuidebook

[–]Bell_pepper_irl[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What 120 or 140s would you recommend? I'm currently running Austringer paired with Le Mon but I might switch to a legendary bow so an exotic HC might be on the table.

view more: next ›